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Chronic Low-dose Exposure to Highly Toxic Gas Phosgene and Its Effect on Peak Expiratory Flow Rate
Rajnarayan R Tiwari1, Sampathraju Raghavan2
1Department of Environmental Epidemiology, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Introduction:
Phosgene is a highly toxic gas causing irritation of the airways and eyes though at high dose exposure. The effect on airways can be assessed by peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) which is a cheaper, simple, and easy to perform test under field conditions and routine monitoring. Thus, this study is undertaken to understand the effect of chronic low-dose phosgene exposure on PEFR and the associated factors.
Methods:
This study included 287 workers of phosgene production and captive units. After recording the demographic, occupational, and clinical history on a questionnaire, every participant was subjected to clinical examination, chest radiography, and measurement of PEFR using Spirovit SP-10.
Results:
The mean age and mean duration of the job of participants was 42.8 ± 10.4 years and 18.9 ± 9.6 years, respectively. The PEFR was significantly reduced with increasing age, increasing duration in the job, and those having direct exposure.
Conclusion:
PEFR is affected by chronic low-dose exposure to phosgene.
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