Lung function of welders of zinc‐coated mild steel: Cross‐sectional analysis and changes over five consecutive work shifts

Marquart, Hans; Smid, Tjabe; Heederik, Dick; Visschers, Maarten

doi:10.1002/ajim.4700160307

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In the study of Sobaszek et al [25] mentioned above, no difference was found between measured FEV 1 , MEF 50 , and MEF in SS welding workers and non-welder controls. Investigating short and long-term effects of occupational exposure in welders of zinc-coated mild steel, Marquart et al [33] found no difference in lung function over a work shift, as well as borderline statistical significance between duration of exposure in years and decreased values of FEV 1 and FEV 1 /FVC. Furthermore, McMillan & Pethybridge [34] reported no change in lung function of dockyard welders relative to controls, even though employed for an average of 33 years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Respiratory Symptoms, Immunological Changes, Ventilatory Capacity, and Bronchial Responsiveness in Welders

Stoleski¹,

Karadžinska-Bislimovska²,

Mijakoski³

2012

Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences

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Objective: To evaluate the effect of workplace exposure and its duration on respiratory symptoms, atopic status, ventilatory capacity, and bronchial responsiveness in welders. Material and Methods:We performed a cross-sectional study including 39 males working as stainless steel welders and an equal number of male office workers matched by age, duration of employment and smoking status. Respiratory symptoms and detailed smoking history were recorded by questionnaire. Evaluation of examined subjects included skin prick tests to common inhalant allergens, spirometry, and histamine challenge. Results:We found non-significantly higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms in the last 12 months in welders with significant difference for cough (P = 0.043) and phlegm (P = 0.009). Prevalence of sensitization to common inhalant allergens was similar in both welders and controls. Mean values of spirometric parameters was lower in welders with significant difference for MEF 50 (P = 0.008) and MEF 75 (P = 0.000). Prevalence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) was higher in welders with significant difference for borderline BHR (P = 0.038). Adverse respiratory effects were more expressed in welders with duration of workplace exposure more than 12 years compared to those exposed less than 12 years. Conclusion:Our data suggest that workplace exposure in welders may lead to respiratory impairment which is close related to its duration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Respiratory Symptoms, Immunological Changes, Ventilatory Capacity, and Bronchial Responsiveness in Welders

Stoleski¹,

Karadžinska-Bislimovska²,

Mijakoski³

2012

Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences

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“…The tests undertaken were being performed at the teaching institutions during a normal class day. Although some authors found no significant differences between lung function changes over the day between welders and controls [6,[25][26][27], others have found significant decreases from morning to afternoon in the mean change in FEV1 and FVC among both welders and controls, but the reduction was almost four-times greater among welders [3] where in the latter study welders who had the reduction in the pulmonary function indices did not differ from those without reductions in terms of age, height, baseline lung function or smoking habits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incidence of probable occupational asthma and changes in airway calibre and responsiveness in apprentice welders

El‐Zein

Malo²,

Infante‐Rivard³

et al. 2003

Eur Respir J

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The majority of cross-sectional studies have shown a higher prevalence of ventilatory impairment in welders while only few longitudinal studies were able to detect chronic effects on spirometry or bronchial responsiveness.The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of probable occupational asthma (OA), bronchial obstruction and hyperresponsiveness among 286 students entering an apprenticeship programme in the welding profession.This epidemiological prospective cohort study consisted of a baseline assessment survey and two follow-up assessments. A respiratory symptom questionnaire was administered at each visit. Spirometry and methacholine bronchial challenge test results, conducted once prior to onset of exposure and later after an average of 15 months of apprenticeship, were available for 194 subjects.The incidence of probable OA was y3% (6 of 194). The incidence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness, defined as a o3.2-fold decrease in the provocative concentration causing a 20% fall in the forced expiratory volume in one second from baseline to the end of the study was 11.9%. A statistically significant difference was found between the baseline and end of study for the lung function values. In particular, the forced expiratory volume per cent predicted had significantly dropped by 8.4% on average.The significance of these early pulmonary function changes in relation to possible chronic effects of exposure to welding fumes and gases remains to be explored. Since the 1980s, epidemiological studies investigated the effects of exposure to welding fumes and gases on lung function and clinical manifestations in welders. The assessment of the effect on pulmonary function is limited, in that most studies have been cross-sectional in design, conducted in groups of welders and nonwelder referents. These studies have not consistently demonstrated an impairment of pulmonary function in occupationally exposed welders [1]. However, there is now good evidence of a higher prevalence of ventilatory impairment in welders shown by significantly lower pulmonary function indices than in comparable controls [2-9]. The confounding effect of smoking has been demonstrated [5,6,10]. Studies of short-term respiratory function have shown a greater reduction in lung function indices among welders than among nonwelders [3,11].There have been relatively few published longitudinal studies. A 2-yr follow-up study showed no significant overall difference in the annual change in pulmonary function variables between welders and nonwelders; however, smoking welders and those welding without local exhaust ventilation or respiratory protection had significantly increased risks for accelerated decline in the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) [12]. This confirmed earlier findings by CHINN et al. [13] in a group of shipyard welders. A 3-yr prospective cohort study on airway reactivity in a group of shipyard workers, including 51 arc welders and 54 nonwelders, showed that welding was associated with a transient across-work-shif...

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“…Also, the cells in our study were exposed to 50 μM VOSO 4 and ZnSO 4 , or 14 and 18 μg of elemental V and Zn, respectively. These doses would be equivalent to working 3 hr in the environments of boilermakers and welders with the ambient V and Zn concentrations of 8 and 10 μg/m 3 , respectively (Marquart et al 1989; Woodin et al 2000), assuming ventilation of 10 L/min.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discrimination of Vanadium from Zinc Using Gene Profiling in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells

Stonehuerner

Devlin

et al. 2005

Environ Health Perspect

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We hypothesized that gene expression profiling may discriminate vanadium from zinc in human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs). RNA from HBECs exposed to vehicle, V (50 μM), or Zn (50 μM) for 4 hr (n = 4 paired experiments) was hybridized to Affymetrix Hu133A chips. Using one-class t-test with p < 0.01, we identified 140 and 76 genes with treatment:control ratios ≥ 2.0 or ≤ 0.5 for V and Zn, respectively. We then categorized these genes into functional pathways and compared the number of genes in each pathway between V and Zn using Fisher’s exact test. Three pathways regulating gene transcription, inflammatory response, and cell proliferation distinguished V from Zn. When genes in these three pathways were matched with the 163 genes flagged by the same statistical filtration for V:Zn ratios, 12 genes were identified. The hierarchical clustering analysis showed that these 12 genes discriminated V from Zn and consisted of two clusters. Cluster 1 genes (ZBTB1, PML, ZNF44, SIX1, BCL6, ZNF450) were down-regulated by V and involved in gene transcription, whereas cluster 2 genes (IL8, IL1A, PTGS2, DTR, TNFAIP3, CXCL3) were up-regulated and linked to inflammatory response and cell proliferation. Also, metallothionein 1 genes (MT1F, MT1G, MT1K) were up-regulated by Zn only. Thus, using microarray analysis, we identified a small set of genes that may be used as biomarkers for discriminating V from Zn. The novel genes and pathways identified by the microarray may help us understand the pathogenesis of health effects caused by environmental V and Zn exposure.

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Lung function of welders of zinc‐coated mild steel: Cross‐sectional analysis and changes over five consecutive work shifts

Cited by 15 publications

References 13 publications

Respiratory Symptoms, Immunological Changes, Ventilatory Capacity, and Bronchial Responsiveness in Welders

Respiratory Symptoms, Immunological Changes, Ventilatory Capacity, and Bronchial Responsiveness in Welders

Incidence of probable occupational asthma and changes in airway calibre and responsiveness in apprentice welders

Discrimination of Vanadium from Zinc Using Gene Profiling in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells

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