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Respiratory health in asbestos‐exposed ironworkers
Author(s) -
Rocskay Adrian Z.,
Harbut Michael R.,
Green Margaret A.,
Osher David L.,
Zellers Edward T.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0274(199605)29:5<459::aid-ajim4>3.0.co;2-h
Subject(s) - medicine , respiratory system , asbestos , pleural thickening , pulmonary function testing , respiratory disease , asbestosis , cardiology , lung , materials science , metallurgy
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of respiratory morbidity among asbestos‐exposed ironworkers and to determine the relationship between respiratory morbidity indices and length of exposure. A medical screening provided information on chest radiographic abnormalities, pulmonary function, rales, finger clubbing, and respiratory symptoms for 547 asbestos‐exposed ironworkers. Union pension records furnished data on length of exposure. The study group exhibited an increased prevalence of small irregular opacities, pleural plaques, and pleural thickening on chest x‐ray; reduced FEF 25–75 ; rales; and respiratory symptoms. After controlling for the effect of cigarette smoking and age, years since joining the ironworkers union were significantly associated with profusion, pleural thickening, pleural plaques, rales, percent predicted FVC, reduced FVC, reduced FEV 1 , reduced FEV 1 /FVC, and dyspnea grades I, II, III, and IV. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.