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M. Effe cts of exposure to vehicle exhaust on health . Scand J Work En viron Health I3 (1987) 505-512. Exposure to combustion engine exhaust and its effect on crews of roll-on roll-off ships and car ferries and on bus garage staff were studied. The peak concentration s recorded for some of the substa nces stu died were as follows: total part iculate s (diesel only) 1.0 rng/rn" , benzene (diesel) 0.3 mg/rn ", form aldehyde (gasoline and diesel) 0.8 mg/rn ", and nitrogen dioxide (diesel) 1.2 mg/m'. The highest observed concentr ation of benzo(a)pyrene was 30 ng/m ' from gasoline and diesel exhau st. In an experimen tal study volunteers were exposed to diesel exhaust diluted with air to achieve a nitrogen dioxide concentration of 3.8 mg/m '. Pulmonary function was affected during a workday of occupational exposure to engine emissions, but it normalized after a few days with no exposure. The impa irment of pulmonary fu nction was judged to have no appreciable, adverse, short-term impact on individual work capacity. In the experimental exposure study, no effect on pulmonary function was observed. Analy ses of urinary mutagenicity and thioether excretion showed no sign of exposure to genotoxic compound s among the occupationall y exposed workers or among the subjects in the experimental st udy.

Wood trimmers are exposed to molds that periodically grow on timber that may induce alveolitis and obstructive lung disease. We have evaluated respiratory symptoms, bronchial reactivity, and lung function in 28 wood trimmers at a Swedish sawmill and in 19 unexposed office workers. Eleven (sero-positive) of the wood trimmers had precipitating antibodies in peripheral blood against one or several molds. The exposure to dust (median 0.26 mg/m3), viable mold spores (median 2950 cfu/m3), viable bacteria (median 370 cfu/m3), airborne endotoxins (range 0.0015-0.0025 microgram/m3), and terpenes (range 0.4-23 mg/m3) was lower than levels that earlier have been reported to affect lung function. The wood trimmers reported an increased prevalence of cough and breathlessness. They also showed signs of a mild obstructive impairment with a tendency to increase bronchial sensitivity to metacholine and decreased FEV1 after 2 days free from exposure. FEV1 decreased more during the working week in the sero-positive workers than among the sero-negative workers, and for the whole group the decrease in FEV1 and MEF25 was correlated to the degree of mold exposure.

A statistically significant temporary reduction on pulmonary function was measured with spirometry in stevedores on a roll-on-roll-off ro-ro ship who were exposed to diesel exhausts from trucks during a work shift. When all trucks were equipped with specially designed microfilters mounted on the exhaust pipes, this impairment in pulmonary function was reduced. Removal of the particulate fraction of the exhausts by filtering is an important factor in reducing the adverse effect of diesel exhaust on pulmonary function. The particle fraction should be considered when designing an indicator of the biological effects of diesel exhausts.