Adverse health outcomes among workers of wood pellet production facilities

Górny, Rafał L.; Gołofit-Szymczak, Małgorzata

doi:10.26444/aaem/115178

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…A review of occupational exposures to wood dust in the European Union suggested that workers in construction, furniture, builders' carpentry, joinery, sawmilling and forestry were the highest exposed [5]. Furthermore, high exposures have also been reported in plywood and chipboard factories, pulp and paper mills, composting, wood pellet production, and use of wood chips in biofuel or bedding for animals [2,6]. Studies on the African continent have also reported excessive dust exposures in small to large-scale wood factories and particleboard companies [1].…”

Section: Occupations and Populations At Riskmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…wood dust particulate (0.09–25 mg/m 3 ), endotoxins (2.5–62.2 ng/m 3 ) and fungal spores (0.4–4 × 10 5 particles/m 3 ) (Table 1). In wood pellet production facilities (WPPF) wood dust particulate, microorganisms, endotoxin and (1→3)-β- d -glucan concentrations can reach higher values of up to 65 mg/m 3 , 19320 CFU/m 3 , 215 ng/m 3 and 1525 ng/m 3 , respectively [2].…”

Section: Exposure Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wood is regarded as one of the world's most important renewable natural resources, and it is estimated that approximately 1700 million m 3 of forest is extracted for industrial purposes annually [1]. Although global figures are not readily available, it is estimated that approximately 3.6 million workers in the European Union, are exposed to wood dust, of which 700 000 work in the furniture industry [2]. Among these workers, 1.5 million are exposed to low dust levels (<0.5 mg/m 3 ), whereas 0.2 million exposed to levels >5 mg/m 3 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wood dust and asthma

Baatjies

Chamba

Jeebhay

2023

Current Opinion in Allergy &Amp; Clinical Immunology

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Purpose of the review Review recent developments on asthma associated with wood dust, given the increasing scale of wood handling and processing activities globally. Recent findingsWork in wood industries is associated with a significantly increased risk of respiratory symptoms, rhinitis and asthma. This can be attributed to traditional processing techniques and newer technologies producing complex bioaerosol exposures, which may include chemicals. Meta-analysis studies indicate strong evidence for wood dusts as occupational sensitizers for asthma, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. The global prevalence of asthma in wood workers ranges between 6--18% and for rhinitis 16--33%. Exposure estimates show wide variation. Risk factors include atopy and exposure to certain wood species, elevated current and cumulative particulate exposures. SummaryFuture studies should focus on better characterization of wood dust allergens and other bioaerosol components, specific immunoglobulin E responses to different wood species, pathophysiological mechanisms underlying asthma, and modelling dose--response relationships using refined exposure metrics for dust particulate and other bioaerosol components. There is a need for improved health-based international exposure standards and effective workplace control measures to reduce exposures to wood dust particulate (hard and soft woods), endotoxin and b-glucan, to reduce the risks of asthma in wood workers.Keywords allergy, exposure, occupational asthma, wood dust, work-related asthma METHODSA detailed literature search was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar and Embase databases. Keywords for the search included ''wood dust, woodworkers, wood processing industry, endotoxins, b-glucans, allergens, terpenes, asthma, occupational asthma, work-related asthma, fractional

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Section: Occupations and Populations At Riskmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Exposure Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wood dust and asthma

Baatjies

Chamba

Jeebhay

2023

Current Opinion in Allergy &Amp; Clinical Immunology

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“…[10][11][12] There are many studies and case reports that link numerous allergic and toxic reactions, including infections by microbial pollutants clinging to the wood dust. 13 A study of exposure levels to wood dust was reported to be over the limit among the workers, and the Swedish occupational exposure limit (OEL) of 2 mg/m 3 of inhalable dust were exceeded by one third of the measurements and were, on average, 3.2 times higher than total dust. 14 Exposure to wood dust from sawmills has been shown to increase the risk of developing lung function deficits and respiratory symptoms.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational Dust Exposure as a Risk Factor for Developing Lung Function Impairment

Saers,

Bryngelsson,

Sundh

et al. 2024

J Occup Environ Med

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Objective Dust exposure is high in several industries. We investigated associations of exposure in paper mills, wood pellet plants and iron foundries with lung function impairment. Methods Respirable silica, inhalable paper dust or inhalable wood dust were collected in personal samples and spirometry was performed. Multiple linear regression analyzed associations with FEV1%pred and FVC%pred. Results Wood pellet workers with high exposure to inhalable dust had lower FEV1%pred (95%CI) (-9.4(-16,-2.6)) and FVC%pred (-9.8(-15,-4.0)) compared with lowest exposure level. Workers at paper mills and foundries had no dose-dependent association but lower FEV1%pred and FVC%pred than in workers at wood pellets plants. Conclusions Increased exposure to inhalable wood dust is associated with decreased lung function. Foundry and paper mill workers have generally lower lung function than wood pellet workers. Spirometry should be considered in workers in industries with airborne particulate matter pollution.

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Wood Dust

Nylander‐French

2023

Patty's Toxicology

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Occupational exposure to wood dust is associated with an increased risk of respiratory diseases including acute or chronic impairment of lung function, cancers of the nasal cavity, lung, digestive system, and hematopoietic system, asthma, and allergic and nonallergic dermatitis. Most recent studies on occupational wood dust exposures have been focused on respiratory symptoms, lung function, and sinonasal cancer. The specific causative agents, and so on, wood dust alone (natural products), wood dust with additives used in the processing or manufacturing of wood products, and/or physical and chemical properties of wood dust, associated with adverse effects are still poorly understood. This chapter discusses the peer‐reviewed scientific literature published on occupational exposure to wood dust and the associated risks of developing adverse health effects. In future studies, attention is called for robust exposure assessment that includes control of confounding variables, duration of exposure, and sufficient follow‐up time for onset of effects. This information is needed to understand the causation of health effects caused by wood dust exposure and the demographic differences in disease rates as well as to develop strategies for interventions to reduce risks to wood industry workers.

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Adverse health outcomes among workers of wood pellet production facilities

Cited by 7 publications

References 6 publications

Wood dust and asthma

Wood dust and asthma

Occupational Dust Exposure as a Risk Factor for Developing Lung Function Impairment

Wood Dust

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