Faculty of Education, Sociology and Health Science, University of Zielona Gora, Gora, Poland.
Eur J Med Res. 2009 Dec 7;14 Suppl 4(Suppl 4):14-7. doi: 10.1186/2047-783x-14-s4-14.
Occupational exposure to wood dust has been shown to cause several respiratory disorders, such as allergic rhinitis, chronic bronchitis, asthma, sino-nasal adenocarcinoma, and impairment of lung function. The aim of the study was to estimate lung function (in the woodworking industry) among workers employed by wood processing, who run the risk of being expose to wood dust.
The study concerns a group of 70 workers aged 24- 55. All the workers underwent general and laryngological examination. A group of 20 workers, working at the positions where dustiness exceeded TLV (threshold limit value) took X-ray of the chest and spirometry. The following parameters were measured: VC, IC, ERV, TV, BF, FEV(1), FVC, PEF, MEF(25-75), FEV(1)%FVC, FEV(1)%VC. The data are presented as means +/- SD and the authors applied references values according to ERS guidelines.
The results show that there was no decline in FEV(1) (3.7 +/- 0.7) and FVC (4.5 +/- 0.8). Normal lung function was defined as FEV(1)/VC ratio > or =0.7. None of the tested workers had obstructive pattern in spirometry. The mean FEV(1)%VC was 77.1 +/- 10.2. These results suggest that wood dust exposure might not lead to significant pulmonary damage.
These data do not corroborate that wood dust plays significant role in lung function impairment. Future studies of respiratory health among workers exposed to wood dust are needed.
职业性接触木尘已被证明可引起多种呼吸道疾病，如过敏性鼻炎、慢性支气管炎、哮喘、鼻窦腺癌以及肺功能损害。本研究的目的是评估（木材加工业）接触木尘的工人的肺功能。
该研究涉及 70 名年龄在 24-55 岁的工人。所有工人均接受了一般和喉科检查。其中 20 名在粉尘浓度超过 TLV（阈值限值）的岗位工作的工人进行了胸部 X 射线和肺量测定。测量了以下参数：VC、IC、ERV、TV、BF、FEV1、FVC、PEF、MEF（25-75）、FEV1%FVC、FEV1%VC。数据以平均值±SD 表示，作者根据 ERS 指南应用参考值。
结果表明，FEV1（3.7±0.7）和 FVC（4.5±0.8）没有下降。正常肺功能定义为 FEV1/VC 比值≥0.7。在肺量测定中，没有工人表现出阻塞性模式。平均 FEV1%VC 为 77.1±10.2。这些结果表明，木尘暴露可能不会导致明显的肺损伤。
这些数据并不表明木尘在肺功能损害中起重要作用。需要对接触木尘的工人的呼吸健康进行进一步的研究。
