Pulmonary functional impairment and symptoms in women in the Los Angeles Harbor area.

Spirometric measurements of vital capacity and flow rates, thoracic gas volume, and single-breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide were obtained in 360 white women, 238 wives age 58 years and 122 daughters age 32 years of shipyard workers from the Long Beach area of southern California. The values for nonsmokers, exsmokers, and current smokers were compared with smoking-specific mean values, age- and height-adjusted, from a reference population in Michigan. The wives from Long Beach had significantly lower mid and terminal flows, single-breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, and alveolar volume, except that single-breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide was not significantly lower in current smokers. Nonsmokers and ex-smokers showed significantly different values for one-second forced expiratory volume in addition to flow rates and single-breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide. Daughters showed significant reductions in single-breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide and alveolar volume, which are attributable to maldistribution of inspired gas. These data showed that a powerful factor has affected expiratory air flow and distribution of gas, resulting in altered single-breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide and alveolar volume in this population. The factor is additive with and resembles the effect of cigarette smoking, and it is postulated that this factor is oxidant air pollution.