Prevalence of Impaired Lung Function in Rubber Manufacturing Factory Workers Exposed to Benzo(d)pyrene and Respirable Particulate Matter

Abstract

The respiratory health of 726 workers in a rubber processing factory has been investigated. The values of the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) and the ratio of FEV(1)/FVC in workers were inversely related to the total suspended particulate matter (TSP) and benzo(a)pyrene present in the workplace air. Statistically significant decrements in ventilatory function occurred following prolonged exposure as assessed by the duration of working in the plant. When the different sections of the factory were considered, workers in the compounding section were most affected, which was associated with the highest exposures to TSP and benzo(a)pyrene. On chest X-ray, 16% of the workers from the compounding section exhibited radiographic abnormalities. Of 7 possible factors thought likely to be related to the effects on pulmonary function, only TSP and the concentration of benzo(a)pyrene in the respirable fraction of particulates resulted in a statistically significant association in a multiple regression analysis.

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“…al. monitored the health of 667 workers working in a rubber factory 11 . Firstly, they showed that there was a negative correlation between the health of employees, and the length of employment.…”

“…Firstly, they showed that there was a negative correlation between the health of employees, and the length of employment. Generally speaking, those employees who were employed by the factory the longest, had the poorest health 11 . Interestingly, health was also correlated to which places in the factory employees worked.…”

“…Interestingly, health was also correlated to which places in the factory employees worked. They found that factory employees who worked in areas with smaller concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene, had better health than those who worked in areas with larger concentrations of the PAH 11 . In 1994 a study found that serum immunoglobin levels were decreased in workers that were exposed to PAHs 12 .…”