Osim E E, Musabayane C T, Mufunda J
Department of Physiology, University of Zimbabwe, Harare.
S Afr Med J. 1998 Sep;88(9):1127-31.
To perform lung function tests on tobacco farm workers (TFWs) chronically exposed to flue curing and stacking of tobacco leaves and to compare them with vegetable farm workers (VFWs) who were not exposed to any known air pollutant (control).
Comparative study.
Tobacco and vegetable farms.
20 TFWs and 30 VFWs. All subjects were male and the mean age, height and weight of the two groups were not significantly different.
Lung function indices.
Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) of the TFWs were 3.28 +/- 0.51 litres, 2.68 +/- 0.74 litres and 6.41 +/- 2.08 litres/second, respectively. These figures were significantly lower than 3.97 +/- 0.83 litres, 3.09 +/- 0.71 litres and 8.62 +/- 2.74 litres/second, respectively, for the control subjects (P < 0.01, 0.05 and 0.01, respectively). However, mean FEV1 as a percentage of the FVC (FEV1%) of the TFWs was not significantly different from that of the controls FVC of the TFWs declined with duration of service (r = 0.74; P < 0.01).
The results are indicative of restrictive lung defect in the TFWs and may be attributed to long-term exposure to flue curing and stacking of tobacco leaves. The results also suggest the importance of the duration of exposure in the aetiology of lung impairment in this environment.
对长期暴露于烤烟和烟叶堆放环境的烟草农场工人（TFWs）进行肺功能测试，并将其与未接触任何已知空气污染物的蔬菜农场工人（VFWs）（对照组）进行比较。
对比研究。
烟草和蔬菜农场。
20名TFWs和30名VFWs。所有研究对象均为男性，两组的平均年龄、身高和体重无显著差异。
肺功能指标。
TFWs的用力肺活量（FVC）、第1秒用力呼气量（FEV1）和呼气峰值流速（PEFR）分别为3.28±0.51升、2.68±0.74升和6.41±2.08升/秒。这些数值显著低于对照组的3.97±0.83升、3.09±0.71升和8.62±2.74升/秒（分别为P<0.01、0.05和0.01）。然而，TFWs的平均FEV1占FVC的百分比（FEV1%）与对照组相比无显著差异。TFWs的FVC随工作年限下降（r = 0.74；P<0.01）。
结果表明TFWs存在限制性肺缺陷，可能归因于长期暴露于烤烟和烟叶堆放环境。结果还提示了暴露时长在这种环境下肺损伤病因学中的重要性。
