Premium
Asthma and other respiratory symptoms in New Zealand pine processing sawmill workers
Author(s) -
Douwes Jeroen,
McLean Dave,
Slater Tania,
Pearce Neil
Publication year - 2001
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/ajim.1060
Subject(s) - medicine , odds ratio , asthma , eye irritation , occupational asthma , nose , respiratory system , occupational medicine , dry cough , population , irritation , environmental health , occupational exposure , surgery , immunology
Background To study respiratory symptoms in pine sawmill workers. Methods A respiratory health questionnaire was administered to 772 pine sawmill workers and the association between symptoms and job‐title‐based exposure was studied. Results Asthma in exposed workers (18%, n = 704) was more common than in the general population (12.1%, n = 592; adjusted OR (95% CI): 1.6 (1.1–2.3)). Asthma was also more common in the low exposure group (15.6%, n = 294) and high exposure groups (high exposure to ‘green dust’; 20.4%, n = 212 and high exposure to ‘dry dust’; 18.8%, n = 198) than in the non‐exposed workers (9.2%, n = 65). Adjusted odds ratios were 1.9 (0.7–4.9), 2.7 (0.9–7.6), and 2.1 (0.8–5.7), respectively. Adjusted odds ratios for symptoms of cough were 2.7 (1.2–6.5) for the low, 5.2 (2.1–13.0) for the high ‘green dust’ and 3.3 (1.4–7.9) for the high ‘dry dust’ exposure groups. Moreover, eye and nose irritations were significantly more prevalent in the high and low exposure groups. Conclusions Working in pine sawmilling is associated with an increased prevalence of asthma and cough symptoms and eye and nose irritation. Am. J. Ind. Med. 39:608–615, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.