A Health Evaluation Study of Kraft Pulp Mill Workers

Abstract

A health evaluation study of Kraft Pulp Mill Workers in Prince Rupert measured the responses of a large sample of Mill workers (n=326) based on a health questionnaire, a medical examination, pulmonary function tests, rest-ing EKG and blood chemistry analysis. A smaller sub group (n=84) were tested on their response to exercise.

On site measurement was made of contaminant gases in several mill areas shortly after the physiological and medical tests. Based upon the chemical analyses carried out, an Environmental Hazard Index was developed to quantify the degree of workers to mixed contaminants of various work sites. After the confounding influence of age, smoking, alcohol intake, family history of coronary artery disease and activity pattern were account -ed for, the residuals of the physiological and clinical dependent variables was related to the mean Environmental Hazard Index of groups of workers in different work sites. By this type of analysis, intriguing relationships become apparent between deficiences in physiological function and the size of the Environmental Hazard Index.

This paper illustrates the relative ease with which deficiencies in any work place may be detected. This contrasts markedly to the ease with which practical solutions to remedy deficiences may be developed if any company is to retain its viability. Nevertheless a solution to the hazard considered in this paper may be the development of an individual Worker Health Hazard Registry which tags each worker's daily exposure and accumulates it to identify a danger point at which physiological deficiences occur. The worker would then be found other work at a contamination free site until his personal hazard index had declined to a low level.