[Asthma, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in occupational exposure to wood]

Two million workers worldwide are regularly exposed to wood dust in the work place. In Denmark alone approximately 40,000 workers are employed in the furniture industry where they are exposed to wood dust on a daily basis. This article reviews epidemiological at studies concerning the relationship between wood dust and the development of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchitis. Fourteen cross-sectional studies and one register-based cohort study form the basis of this review. The conclusion is that despite possible methodological problems there seems to be a relationship between occupational exposure to the types of wood dust used in Denmark and the development of these pulmonary diseases. The results would indicate that further studies are clearly needed in order to study the incidence of these diseases and the relation to the specific types and amount of wood dust.