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Welding Fumes and SARS-CoV-2: A Dangerous Combination
Sanna Kjellberg1, Alexander Holm, Susanna L Haga
1From the Occupational and Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (S.K., A.H., S.L.H., L.S., A.-C.O.); and Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden (A.H.).
Objectives:
To study if the adverse effects of welding fume exposure are more pronounced in individuals previously infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Methods:
In this cross-sectional study, spirometry, oscillometry, multiple breath washout (MBW), and diffusing capacity were tested in 44 exposed workers and 62 unexposed individuals. A history of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was present in 34% of exposed and 68% of unexposed individuals. Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and multiple regression analyses.
Results:
Welding fume exposure was significantly associated with increased small airway resistance (R 5-20 ), assessed by oscillometry, while exposure combined with past COVID-19 was associated with increased ventilation heterogeneity in the small conducting airways, as assessed by MBW, and reduced diffusing capacity.
Conclusions:
Welding-fume-exposed individuals with prior COVID-19 had more pronounced small airway impairment, as assessed by MBW, than exposed workers with no COVID-19 history.
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