Exposure to Ozone Gases in Pulp Mills and the Onset of Rhinitis

Details

• Personal Author:
  Henneberger, Paul K. ; Hoffman CD ; Mehta A ; Olin AC ; Torén, Kjell
• Description:
  Rhinitis is a common upper respiratory disease influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. It is also accepted that allergic rhinitis may precede asthma, a disease with more serious consequences. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the risk of noninfectious rhinitis is increased after accidental gassings with ozone among bleachery workers in two pulp mills. Bleachery workers (N=120) from two Swedish pulp mills using ozone as their bleaching agent were compared with control workers (N=80) not exposed to ozone in two adjacent paper mills. All of the participants were mailed a respiratory questionnaire that included items about asthma, noninfectious rhinitis, self-reported gassings, and smoking. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated with proportional hazards regression models. The bleachery workers who reported gassings from ozone were found to be at increased risk of noninfectious rhinitis [HR 3.4, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.3-8.7] when compared with control workers. Bleachery workers without self-reported ozone gassings were not at increased risk (HR 0.9, 95% CI 0.3-2.4). Acute exposure to high levels of ozone increases the risk of noninfectious rhinitis. This finding supports the view that peak exposures to irritants should be prevented in pulp mills. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Chlorine Compounds Hypersensitivity Irritants Nose Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Sense Organs Sulfur Compounds
• Keywords:
  Allergic-disorders Author Keywords: Worker Bleachery Chlorine-compounds Gases Nasal-cavity Nasal-disorders Occupational-exposure Ozone Pulmonary-system-disorders Pulp-industry Respiratory-irritants Respiratory-system-disorders Sulfur-compounds

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• ISSN:
  0355-3140
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  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
• Pages in Document:
  445-449
• Volume:
  30
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20025797
• Citation:
  Scand J Work Environ Health 2004 Dec; 30(6):445-449
• Contact Point Address:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505
• Email:
  pkh0@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Chlorine (CAS RN 7782-50-5) ; Chlorine dioxide (CAS RN 10049-04-4) ; Hydrogen sulfide (CAS RN 7783-06-4) ; Ozone (CAS RN 10028-15-6) ; Sulfur dioxide (CAS RN 7446-09-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2005
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:66f7fe8d8d235159772564c1e1eb53a6994ddd0c50848879fb562dd6b6803ec102374e780404a77ddfc2abba6487e41828ee35c5bd3e9857ca406b8bab5cfbdb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/197018/cdc_197018_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 106.28 KB ]