Tunnicliffe W S, O'Hickey S P, Fletcher T J, Miles J F, Burge P S, Ayres J G
Heartlands Research Institute, Heartlands Hospital, Green East, Birmingham, UK.
Occup Environ Med. 1999 Feb;56(2):118-23. doi: 10.1136/oem.56.2.118.
To assess the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and to measure spirometry in a sample of employees of Birmingham International Airport, United Kingdom, to examine whether occupational exposure to aircraft fuel or jet stream exhaust might be associated with respiratory symptoms or abnormalities of lung function.
Cross sectional survey by questionnaire and on site measurement of lung function, skin prick tests, and exhaled carbon monoxide concentrations. Occupational exposure was assigned by job title, between group comparison were made by logistic regression analysis.
222/680 full time employees were studied (mean age 38.6 y, 63% male, 28% current smokers, 6% self reported asthma, 19% self reported hay fever). Upper and lower respiratory tract symptoms were common and 51% had one or more positive skin tests. There were no significant differences in lung function tests between exposure groups. Between group comparisons of respiratory symptoms were restricted to male members of the medium and high exposure groups. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for cough with phlegm and runny nose were found to be significantly associated with high exposure (OR 3.5, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.23 to 9.74 and 2.9, 1.32 to 6.40 respectively) when the measured confounding effects of age and smoking, and in the case of runny nose, self reported hay fever had been taken into account. There was no obvious association between high exposure and the presence of shortness of breath or wheeze, or for the symptoms of watering eyes or stuffy nose.
These findings support an association in male airport workers, between high occupational exposures to aviation fuel or jet stream exhaust and excess upper and lower respiratory tract symptoms, in keeping with a respiratory irritant. It is more likely that these effects reflect exposure to exhaust rather than fuel, although the effects of an unmeasured agent cannot be discounted.
评估英国伯明翰国际机场部分员工的呼吸道症状患病率并进行肺功能检测，以研究职业性接触飞机燃油或喷气式气流废气是否与呼吸道症状或肺功能异常有关。
通过问卷调查及现场肺功能检测、皮肤点刺试验和呼出一氧化碳浓度检测进行横断面调查。根据工作职位确定职业暴露情况，采用逻辑回归分析进行组间比较。
对680名全职员工中的222名进行了研究（平均年龄38.6岁，63%为男性，28%为当前吸烟者，6%自述有哮喘，19%自述有花粉症）。上、下呼吸道症状常见，51%的人有一项或多项皮肤试验呈阳性。暴露组之间的肺功能检测无显著差异。呼吸道症状的组间比较仅限于中、高暴露组的男性成员。在考虑年龄和吸烟的测量混杂效应后，对于流涕情况还考虑了自述的花粉症，发现咳痰和流涕的校正比值比（OR）与高暴露显著相关（咳痰的OR为3.5，95%置信区间（95%CI）为1.23至9.74；流涕的OR为2.9，1.32至6.40）。高暴露与气短或喘息的存在之间，或与流泪或鼻塞症状之间无明显关联。
这些发现支持在男性机场工作人员中，高职业性接触航空燃油或喷气式气流废气与上、下呼吸道症状过多之间存在关联，这与呼吸道刺激物相符。这些影响更可能反映的是接触废气而非燃油，尽管不能排除未测量因素的影响。
