Occupational exposure to aerosols in two French airports: multi-year lung function changes

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Environmental Exposure Assessment

Background:

• Airport environments expose workers to various aerosols and pollutants.
• Differential exposure may impact employee respiratory health and lung function.
• Longitudinal studies are needed to assess long-term effects on airport workers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To longitudinally evaluate spirometry measures in Air France employees.
• To conduct an exploratory exposure assessment to airport aerosols.
• To identify specific worker groups at higher risk for lung function decline.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal spirometry over ~6.6 years for office workers, mechanics, terminal, and apron workers.
• Exploratory personal monitoring for airport aerosol exposure.
• Multivariate analysis of individual variables (sex, smoking, etc.) and environmental factors.

Main Results:

• 24.75% of airport workers exhibited excessive lung function decline.
• Terminal workers showed significantly higher decline rates compared to mechanics (P=0.0056).
• No direct relationship was found between lung function decline and tarmac exposure or other explored individual variables.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first evidence of excessive lung function decline in certain French airport workers.
• Terminal and apron workers are at higher risk, suggesting job-specific exposure risks.
• Identifying the precise emission sources responsible for lung function decline remains a challenge.