J. J. Moulin

Lung function and clinical findings in a cross-sectional study of arc welders

SummaryAn epidemiological, cross-sectional study was conducted in order to assess non-neoplasic effects on the lung due to chronic exposure to arc welding fumes and gases. The study involved 346 arc welders and 214 control workers from a factory producing industrial vehicles. These workers (welders and controls) had never been exposed to asbestos. Respiratory impairments were evaluated by using a standardized questionnaire, a clinical examination, chest radiophotography and several lung function tests (spirometry, bronchial challenge test to acetylcholine, CO transfer tests according to the breath-holding and the steady-state methods, N2 washout test). The only significant differences between the welders overall compared to the controls were a slightly higher bronchial hyper-reactivity to acetylcholine and a lower lung diffusing capacity for CO in the welders. However, non-specific, radiologic abnormalities (reticulation, micronodulation) and obstructive signs were more frequent in the most exposed welders (welding inside tanks) than in welders working in well ventilated workplaces. The nature of the metal welded (mild-steel, stainless steel, aluminium) did not seem to have an influence on respiratory impairments. In the mild-steel welders, respiratory symptoms (dyspnoea, recurrent bronchitis) and obstructive signs were more frequent in the welders using a manual process than in the welders involved with the semi-automatic process (MIG). For all the workers (welders and controls), smoking had a markedly adverse effect on respiratory symptoms and lung function. Moreover, smoking seemed to interact with welding since CO lung transfer was more impaired in smoking welders than in smoking controls.

Respiratory health assessment by questionnaire of 2024 workers involved in man-made mineral fiber production

SummaryA respiratory health questionnaire was administred to the workers producing man-made mineral fibers in three glasswool and two rockwool plants in France, in order to detect adverse effects resulting from fiber exposure. The mean ages of the 2024 male participants ranged from 32 to 41 years. The standardized questionnaire was filled in by the industrial physicians: occupational history, smoking habits, respiratory symptoms (cough, phlegm, dyspnea, asthma), irritative complaints of the upper airways (nasal fossae and sinuses, pharynx and larynx) were all recorded. Multiple unconditional logistic regression was used to test for a relationship between possible explanatory variables and these symptoms. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms (cough, phlegm, dyspnea) was strongly correlated with age and increased markedly among current smokers. Having adjusted for these confounding factors, significantly elevated Odds Ratios (ORs) for cough and phlegm were observed among the workers of one plant (51% of the whole study population) who had been exposed to fibers for a long time. In the same plant, the ORs for complaints of nasal fossae and sinuses increased significantly with the duration of fiber exposure, and one elevated OR was observed for pharyngeal and laryngeal symptoms. These findings were not consistent with the results observed in the four other plants (49% of the study population), since ORs for all these symptoms were either low or not significantly increased according to the duration of fiber exposure. This lack of similarity among plants could be explained either by differences in interviewers, age, seniority and tobacco consumption, or by secular changes in the industrial processes involved. The positive results observed contrast with a negative lung function study previously carried out in the same plant. Furthermore, the literature provides only one study reporting similar positive findings concerning pharyngeal and laryngeal complaints.