COPD and Occupational Exposures: A Case-Control Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Breen V ; Buist S ; Doney B ; Graziani M ; Heumann M ; Hnizdo, Eva ; McBurnie MA ; Villnave J ; Vollmer VM ; Weinmann S
• Description:
  Growing evidence suggests that COPD is causally associated with certain occupational exposures. Few studies have investigated the association using complete job histories and multiple types of occupational exposure. We conducted a case-control study among members of Kaiser Permanente Northwest to evaluate the associations between occupational exposure and COPD. We identified 388 COPD cases aged 45 and over; 356 controls without COPD were frequency matched to cases on age group, sex, and history of smoking. Detailed work and smoking histories were obtained by telephone interview. Certified Industrial Hygienists independently rated each job according to its likelihood of exposure to 8 agents thought to cause COPD. Odds ratios for the association of each exposure (ever-never) with COPD were computed using logistic regression, stratifying on smoking status and adjusting for age, sex, and, for smokers, pack years. Among ever-smokers, occupational exposures most strongly associated with COPD were diesel exhaust (OR=1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.7) and irritant gases and vapors (OR=1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.4). Associations with metal dust (OR=1.5, 95% CI 0.95-2.5) and mineral dust (OR=1.5, 95% CI 0.95-2.3) were suggested. In the small group of never-smokers (42 cases and 58 controls), a similar pattern was evident though statistical power was low; the strongest associations found were with diesel exhaust (OR=6.4, 95% CI 1.3-31.6) and mineral dust (OR=3.5, 95% CI 0.94-13.3). In this study, COPD was associated with exposure to diesel exhaust and irritant gases and vapors. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Aging Case Reports Demography Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Sex Characteristics Smokers Solvents Tobacco Products Vehicle Emissions

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• Keywords:
  Age-factors Age-groups Case-studies Cigarette-smoking Demographic-characteristics Diesel-exhausts Diseases Gases Occupational-diseases Occupational-exposure Pulmonary-system-disorders Sex-factors Smoking Surveillance Vapors

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• ISSN:
  1546-3222
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary ; Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Oregon ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20031225
• Citation:
  Proc Am Thorac Soc 2006 Apr; 3(Abstracts):A779
• Email:
  William.Vollmer@kpchr.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2006
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:07dfe44ddf5200a1eb101eeee3ced69cfce6c0592cbc9441925797a755bb7df49aacfd9a771cb1eb24b5cdb872523030ec4db7349bec0e485dd7e977161b5eda
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/191536/cdc_191536_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 504.75 KB ]