Pulmonary function and respiratory symptoms of Portland cement workers in southern Taiwan

Respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function were studied in a cross-sectional survey of Portland cement workers in southern Taiwan. The study cohort consisted of 661 cement workers who were classified into low, medium, and high exposure groups with mean exposure values of 0.22, 0.55 and 1.24 mg/m3 of respirable dust concentrations, respectively. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms was not found to be significantly related to exposure, with the exception of a higher prevalence of coughing found among the heavy exposure group (OR = 1.55, P < 0.05). Both non-smoking and smoking cement workers showed no significant differences in the pulmonary function indices among the three exposure groups.