Respiratory effects of occupational exposure to an epoxy resin system.

A standardized respiratory questionnaire and pulmonary function tests were used to examine thirty-four employees of a snow-ski manufacturing plant, including twenty-five workers who were exposed to an epoxy resin system containing the amine hardener 3-dimethylamino propylamine (3-DMAPA). Maximum expiratory flow-volume curves were obtained on Monday and Thursday, before and after each shift, and FVC, FEV1.0, MEF50%, and MEF25% were caculated. Environmental measurements of the total amine levels were found to range from 0.41 to 1.38 ppm. The group with the greatest exposure (0.55-1.38 ppm) showed significant decreases in lung function over Monday and over the week. Although all employees in this group showed decreases in pulmonary function, acute changes were greater in present cigarette smokers and in subjects who reported respiratory symptoms upon exposure to the epoxy resin system. There was no evidence of permanent loss of lung function in subjects with either the highest or longest exposure.