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The association between exposure to wood dusts and respiratory symptoms was examined in mill workers. The study group was composed of 82 workers from 12 wood mill facilities, and 262 office workers as controls. Dust concentrations at the mill were measured by six stage cascade impactors. Total dust concentrations in the high exposure work areas of grinding and screening ranged from 4.4 to 22.4mg/m3. Among exposed and control smokers, the prevalence of respiratory symptoms (such as chronic phlegm and chronic bronchitis) was elevated but independent of exposure. The incidence of symptoms in nonsmokers, on the other hand, was dependent on exposure; nonsmoking, high exposure workers had significantly more symptoms than nonsmoking controls. All parameters of pulmonary function were significantly lower in the exposed workers than in controls for both smokers and nonsmokers. After adjustment for confounding variables, most pulmonary function deficits also showed a signficant decreasing trend with increasing levels of wood dust exposure classified by job titles. The authors conclude that high levels of wood dust exposure in the wood mill industries may cause pulmonary damage; engineering controls and industrial hygiene are recommended.
American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 30(3):293-299, 1996. (27 references)
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