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Lung function and precipitating antibodies in low exposed wood trimmers in Sweden
Author(s) -
Dahlqvist Monica,
Johard Urban,
Alexandersson Rolf,
Bergström Björn,
Ekholm Ulla,
Eklund Anders,
Milosevich Boris,
Tornling Göran,
Ulfvarson Ulf
Publication year - 1992
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.4700210410
Subject(s) - medicine , lung function , lung , respiratory disease , respiratory system , pulmonary function testing , occupational exposure , immunology , gastroenterology , medical emergency
Abstract Wood trimmers are exposed to molds that periodically grow on timber that may induce alveolitis and obstructive lung disease. We have evaluated respiratory symptoms, bronchial reactivity, and lung function in 28 wood trimmers at a Swedish sawmill and in 19 unexposed office workers. Eleven (sero‐positive) of the wood trimmers had precipitating antibodies in peripheral blood against one or several molds. The exposure to dust (median 0.26 mg/m 3 ), viable mold spores (median 2950 cfu/m 3 ), viable bacteria (median 370 cfu/m 3 ), airborne endotoxins (range 0.0015–0.0025 μg/m 3 ), and terpenes (range 0.4–23 mg/m 3 ) was lower than levels that earlier have been reported to affect lung function. The wood trimmers reported an increased prevalence of cough and breathlessness. They also showed signs of a mild obstructive impairment with a tendency to increased bronchial sensitivity to metacholine and decreased FEV 1 after 2 days free from exposure. FEV 1 decreased more during the working week in the sero‐positive workers than among the sero‐negative workers, and for the whole group the decrease in FEV 1 and MEF 25 was correlated to the degree of mold exposure.