BACKGROUND: Among epidemiologic studies that found evidence for associations between exposures to metal working fluids (MWF) and pulmonary function impairments, one found effects restricted to workers with fixed obstruction at baseline. We reanalyzed a previously published study on MWF exposure and cross-shift pulmonary function to further evaluate this finding. METHODS: Pulmonary function was measured cross-shift on Monday and Friday in 131 male automotive workers. Quantitative personal MWF exposure data were available. Those with an FEV(1)/FVC ratio of <or=0.72 were considered obstructed. RESULTS: There was a trend towards increasing incidence of cross-shift decrement in FEV(1) as MWF exposure increased in the full cohort as well as when the results were restricted to the 19 (14.5%) who were obstructed. Those with obstruction were slightly more likely to show decrements in FEV(1) on Fridays. Removing the obstructed subgroup did not appear to substantially weaken the exposure-response relation. CONCLUSIONS: No important differences were found in cross-shift effects of MWF between obstructed and non-obstructed workers. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
BACKGROUND: Among epidemiologic studies that found evidence for associations between exposures to metal working fluids (MWF) and pulmonary function impairments, one found effects restricted to workers with fixed obstruction at baseline. We reanalyzed a previously published study on MWF exposure and cross-shift pulmonary function to further evaluate this finding. METHODS: Pulmonary function was measured cross-shift on Monday and Friday in 131 male automotive workers. Quantitative personal MWF exposure data were available. Those with an FEV(1)/FVC ratio of <or=0.72 were considered obstructed. RESULTS: There was a trend towards increasing incidence of cross-shift decrement in FEV(1) as MWF exposure increased in the full cohort as well as when the results were restricted to the 19 (14.5%) who were obstructed. Those with obstruction were slightly more likely to show decrements in FEV(1) on Fridays. Removing the obstructed subgroup did not appear to substantially weaken the exposure-response relation. CONCLUSIONS: No important differences were found in cross-shift effects of MWF between obstructed and non-obstructed workers. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Authors: Tricia D LeVan; Woon-Puay Koh; Hin-Peng Lee; David Koh; Mimi C Yu; Stephanie J London Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 2006-05-17 Impact factor: 4.897