1. High Prevalence and Advanced Silicosis in Active Granite Workers: A Dose-Response Analysis Including FEV1
- Author
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Víctor Cuervo, Artemio González, Arturo Pichel, Alejandro Dubois, Cristina Martínez, Isabel Isidro, Manuel Alonso Castro Gil, Aida Quero, and Gumersindo Rego
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Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,Silicosis ,Occupational disease ,Gastroenterology ,Occupational medicine ,Young Adult ,Forced Expiratory Volume ,Occupational Exposure ,Internal medicine ,Odds Ratio ,medicine ,Humans ,Respiratory Tract Infections ,High prevalence ,Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ,Respiratory tract infections ,business.industry ,Pneumoconiosis ,Respiratory disease ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Middle Aged ,Silicon Dioxide ,medicine.disease ,Surgery ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,VEMS ,Spain ,Environmental Pollutants ,business - Abstract
To evaluate silica exposure and respiratory disease in granite workers.A cross-sectional study of 440 active granite workers.Seventy-seven (17.5%) have silicosis, complicated in 15 of them; 18 have an obstructive ventilatory defect and 73 had exceeded 3.5 mg/m-year of cumulative silica exposure. Percent predicted FEV1 have a significant negative relation with mg/m(3)-year (P0.001) with a trend toward dose-response excluding silicotics and controlling for tobacco. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of having a percent predicted FEV1 below 50th percentile is 1.18 (0.66 to 2.11) for nonexposed smokers, 1.47 (0.76 to 2.84) for exposed nonsmokers, and 2.07 (1.12 to 3.85) for exposed smokers, in comparison with the control group.This study suggests that silica induces functional alteration regardless of silicosis and, in all likelihood, synergistically with tobacco. Exposure levels must be controlled better in these workers and those with silicosis must be relocated to risk-free jobs or retired.
- Published
- 2008
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