期刊名称：Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine
印刷版ISSN：1232-1966
电子版ISSN：1898-2263
出版年度：2015
卷号：22
期号：4
页码：647-654
DOI：10.5604/12321966.1185768
出版社：Institute of Agricultural Medicine in Lublin
摘要：Introduction. Occupational exposure to grain dust causes respiratory symptoms and pathologies. To decrease these effects,major changes have occurred in the grain processing industry in the last twenty years. However, there are no data on theeffects of these changes on workers’ respiratory health.Objectives. The aim of this study was to evaluate the respiratory health of grain workers and farmers involved in differentsteps of the processing industry of wheat, the most frequently used cereal in Europe, fifteen years after major improvementsin collective protective equipment due to mechanisation.Materials and Method. Information on estimated personal exposure to wheat dust was collected from 87 workers exposedto wheat dust and from 62 controls. Lung function (FEV1, FVC, and PEF), exhaled nitrogen monoxide (FENO) and respiratorysymptoms were assessed after the period of highest exposure to wheat during the year. Linear regression models wereused to explore the associations between exposure indices and respiratory effects.Results. Acute symptoms – cough, sneezing, runny nose, scratchy throat – were significantly more frequent in exposedworkers than in controls. Increased mean exposure level, increased cumulative exposure and chronic exposure to morethan 6 mg.m-3 of inhaled wheat dust were significantly associated with decreased spirometric parameters, including FEV1and PEF (40 ml and 123 ml.s-1), FEV1 and FVC (0.4 ml and 0.5 ml per 100 h.mg.m-3), FEV1 and FVC (20 ml and 20 ml per 100 hat >6 mg.m-3). However, no increase in FENO was associated with increased exposure indices.Conclusions. The lung functions of wheat-related workers are still affected by their cumulative exposure to wheat dust,despite improvements in the use of collective protective equipment
