Prevalence of Impaired Lung Function in Rubber Manufacturing Factory Workers Exposed to Benzo(a)pyrene and Respirable Particulate Matter

Abstract

The respiratory health of 726 workers in a rubber processing factory has been investigated. The values of the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁) and the ratio of FEV₁/FVC in workers were inversely related to the total suspended particulate matter (TSP) and benzo(a)pyrene present in the workplace air. Statistically significant decrements in ventilatory function occurred following prolonged exposure as assessed by the duration of working in the plant. When the different sections of the factory were consid ered, workers in the compounding section were most affected, which was asso ciated with the highest exposures to TSP and benzo(a)pyrene. On chest X-ray, 16 % of the workers from the compounding section exhibited radiographic abnormalities. Of 7 possible factors thought likely to be related to the effects on pulmonary function, only TSP and the concentration of benzo( a)pyrene in the respirable fraction of particulates resulted in a statistically significant asso ciation in a multiple regression analysis.

Keywords

Rubber factory workers Pulmonary function Forced expiratory volume Suspended particulate matter Benzo(a)pyrene Radiological abnormalities

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