Respiratory Health and Work in the Post-Katrina Environment

Details

• Personal Author:
  Freyder L ; Glindmeyer HW ; Jones, Richard ; Lefante JJ ; Rando RJ
• Description:
  Rationale: New Orleans residents and workers have had exposures to bioaerosols and other noxious contaminants left by the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. In a longitudinal study to examine associations between work in and around flood-damaged structures and the risks of respiratory illness, baseline findings are presented. Methods: Spirometry was performed on 594 participants who worked for various public and private institutions, or were private residents of the New Orleans area, with some restoring/remediating their own homes. Administered questionnaire included information on respiratory health, smoking history, and pre- and post-Katrina work and occupation. Any time since Katrina spent in demolition, trash removal, landscape restoration, sewer line repair, or mold remediation ("dirty jobs") was taken as indicating exposure to flood-related contaminants. An interview question about transient fever and cough at the end of a workday was used as an indicator of possible hypersensitivity or toxic reaction. Multiple linear regression was used to relate percent predicted (%P) FEV1, FVC and FEV1/FVC to exposure, after adjusting for smoking category. Results: 74% of study participants reported time spent in at least one of the dirty jobs. The table shows that significant differences between exposed and nonexposed subjects were observed for %P FEV1 for current smokers and for %P FEV1/FVC for ex- and never smokers. 31% of study participants reported at least one episode of transient fever/cough since Katrina, and a significantly increased risk was observed with dirty jobs (RR =1.51, p = 0.007, CI: 1.10-2.09). This association was also observed in ex- and never smokers (RR = 1.78, p = 0.003, CI: 1.19-2.67), but not in current smokers (RR = 1.07, p=.80, CI: 0.64-1.7796). No significant differences in %P FEV1, FVC and FEV1/FVC were observed between subjects with and without fever/cough. Conclusions: Baseline symptoms and lung function data may be reflecting inhalant exposures to contaminants left in the wake of flooding from Hurricane Katrina. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Air Pollutants, Occupational
  • Bacteria
  • Cytotoxins
  • Dust
  • Environmental Exposure
  • Environmental Health
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Environmental Pollution
  • Hazardous Substances
  • Hypersensitivity
  More +
• Keywords:
  • Airborne-particles
  • Allergens
  • Bacterial-dusts
  • Bacteriology
  • Biological-effects
  • Biological-monitoring
  • Breathing
  • Cytotoxic-effects
  • Diseases
  • Dust-analysis
  More +
• ISSN:
  1073-449X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Louisiana ; OSHA Region 6
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  181
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20037201
• Citation:
  Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2010 May; 181(Meeting Abstracts):A4701
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction ; Services
• Performing Organization:
  Tulane University of Louisiana
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20070701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
• Supplement:
  Meeting Abstracts
• End Date:
  20120630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/188331/cdc_188331_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 19.47 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8944e5b855439567f83d48802399017cbdfcbe9e61aee0f4b49b146a4309662d6642cfe9370e3f6b0da26a39319109b28973929681c7a6da0640b3f999a3177e