Non-Malignant Respiratory Illnesses in Association with Occupational Exposure to Asbestos and Other Insulating Materials: Findings from the Alberta Insulator Cohort

Moitra, Subhabrata; Tabrizi, Ali Farshchi; Machichi, Kawtar Idrissi; Kamravaei, Samineh; Miandashti, Noushin; Henderson, Linda; Mukherjee, Manali; Khadour, Fadi; Naseem, Muhammad Tahir; Lacy, Paige; Melenka, Lyle

doi:10.3390/ijerph17197085

Cited by 14 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…An interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to capture information about the demographic profile (age, sex, smoking history, and frequency of smoking), and personal and family history (exposure to smoke at childhood, and parental lung disease). Details of the questionnaire have been described elsewhere [30]. Additionally, job exposure information including the dates and duration of deployment at the wildfire sites and use of respiratory protection (yes/no) were also recorded.…”

Section: Demographic Job and Health-related Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short-Term Acute Exposure to Wildfire Smoke and Lung Function among Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Officers

Moitra

Tabrizi

Fathy³

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The increasing incidence of extreme wildfire is becoming a concern for public health. Although long-term exposure to wildfire smoke is associated with respiratory illnesses, reports on the association between short-term occupational exposure to wildfire smoke and lung function remain scarce. In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed data from 218 Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers (mean age: 38 ± 9 years) deployed at the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016. Individual exposure to air pollutants was calculated by integrating the duration of exposure with the air quality parameters obtained from the nearest air quality monitoring station during the phase of deployment. Lung function was measured using spirometry and body plethysmography. Association between exposure and lung function was examined using principal component linear regression analysis, adjusting for potential confounders. In our findings, the participants were predominantly male (71%). Mean forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), and residual volume (RV) were 76.5 ± 5.9 and 80.1 ± 19.5 (% predicted). A marginal association was observed between air pollution and higher RV [β: 1.55; 95% CI: −0.28 to 3.37 per interquartile change of air pollution index], but not with other lung function indices. The association between air pollution index and RV was significantly higher in participants who were screened within the first three months of deployment (2.80; 0.91 to 4.70) than those screened later (−0.28; −2.58 to 2.03), indicating a stronger effect of air pollution on peripheral airways. Acute short-term exposure to wildfire-associated air pollutants may impose subtle but clinically important deleterious respiratory effects, particularly in the peripheral airways.

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Section: Demographic Job and Health-related Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short-Term Acute Exposure to Wildfire Smoke and Lung Function among Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Officers

Moitra

Tabrizi

Fathy³

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…Fiberglass, sometimes also referred to as man-made vitreous fibers (MMVF), is a known respiratory, skin and eye irritant and an asthmagen [1]. In occupational settings, fiberglass exposure has been found to correlate with recurrent chest infections and pulmonary fibrosis [2,3]. Fiberglass fibers can vary in diameter, length, and chemical composition, but are predominantly amorphous (non-crystalline) mixtures of oxides of silicon, calcium, and other metals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fiberglass and Other Flame-Resistant Fibers in Mattress Covers

Wagner

Fowles

Barreau

2022

IJERPH

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Public complaints have raised concerns that some mattresses in the current marketplace may be potential sources of airborne fiberglass. Although mattress foam is often marketed as chemical-free, their cover compositions are not as well understood by the general public. To fill these basic information gaps, the covers of four newly purchased mattresses were sampled and analyzed using polarized light microscopy, SEM-EDS, and FTIR microspectroscopy. Two of the mattress covers contained over 50% fiberglass in their inner sock layers. Up to 1% of the fiberglass had migrated to adjacent fabric layers, representing a potential risk of consumer exposure if the zipper on the outer cover is opened. The observed fiberglass fragments had calculated aerodynamic diameters ranging between 30 and 50 µm, suggesting they are potentially inhalable into the nose, mouth, and throat, but are likely too large to penetrate deeper into the lungs. No fiberglass was observed on the brand new mattresses’ outer surfaces. Synthetic fibers also present in the sock layers were consistent with flame resistant modacrylic containing vinyl chloride and antimony. The use of fiberglass and other chemicals in mattress covers poses a potential health risk if these materials are not adequately contained. The apparent non-inclusion of mattress covers in chemical-free certifications suggests that further improvements are needed in mattress labeling and education of consumers.

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“…Unfortunately, however, in most developing countries workers' safety and labour acts are non-existent 1 . Multiple reports have been documented in the developed countries in the past two decades addressing new and unique exposures, which have severely impacted the respiratory health of hundreds of thousands of workers, such as insulating materials other than asbestos 13 , dust from the world trade centre (WTC) collapse 14 , among others. In this review, we summarised recent reports of occupational lung diseases caused by newly recognised occupational hazards and some old exposures in new forms (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Occupational Exposures with Respiratory Effects

Moitra¹,

Haldar²

2021

BRN

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Occupational exposure is one of the major risk factors for lung diseases globally. Although the aetiology and the course of major occupational lung diseases are well understood, the nature of lung diseases caused by new agents is still not well evaluated. The rise of interstitial and malignant lung diseases due to occupational exposures has caught global attention because either the causal agents are novel and the mode of action is poorly understood, or classical exposures have reappeared in a newer way, or the control measures are not implemented properly. With the introduction of new and innovative technologies, new agents such as indium compounds, diketones, nanomaterials, and physical processes such as hydraulic fracking are being introduced with substantially high deliberating effects on the workers' health. In this review, we summarise some new occupational exposures contributing to respiratory diseases and provide some recommendations for reducing the burden of occupational lung diseases.

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Non-Malignant Respiratory Illnesses in Association with Occupational Exposure to Asbestos and Other Insulating Materials: Findings from the Alberta Insulator Cohort

Cited by 14 publications

References 50 publications

Short-Term Acute Exposure to Wildfire Smoke and Lung Function among Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Officers

Short-Term Acute Exposure to Wildfire Smoke and Lung Function among Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Officers

Fiberglass and Other Flame-Resistant Fibers in Mattress Covers

New Occupational Exposures with Respiratory Effects

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