Acute pulmonary responses among automobile workers exposed to aerosols of machining fluids

Details

• Personal Author:
  Eisen EA ; Greaves IA ; Kennedy SM ; Kriebel D ; Smith, Thomas J. ; Woskie SR
• Description:
  Cross-shift respiratory function changes were monitored among 89 machine operators at two factories producing automobile parts, to measure any increases in the rates of cough and phlegm resulting from exposure to machining fluid aerosols. The findings were compared to pulmonary function measurements taken in 42 unexposed assembly workers studied at the same factories. Spirometry was performed before and after working hours on Monday and Friday of a working week. Also on these two days the workers wore a personal air sampling device during the work shift. In 23.6 percent of the machinists and in 9.5 percent of the control group the Monday readings demonstrated a 5 percent or greater decrease in the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV-1). The odds ratio for an FEV-1 response was calculated to be 4.4 for workers exposed to mineral-oil aerosols, 5.8 for those exposed to oil emulsions, and 6.9 for those exposed to synthetic fluids. FEV-1 responses recorded on Friday were similar to those on Monday, with no progressive decline in FEV-1 being noted over the space of the week. The total aerosol concentrations to which the assembly workers were exposed ranged from 0.07 to 0.44mg/m3 and those for the machinists ranged from 0.16 to 2.03mg/m3. The authors conclude that acute airway obstruction was associated with exposure to aerosols of various machining fluids and that these responses occurred at exposure levels far below those currently recommended as permissible. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Air Movements Asthma Asthma, Occupational Automobiles Environmental Monitoring Lung Lung Diseases Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Metals Metal Workers Mineral Oil Occupational Health Respiratory Function Tests Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Smokers

  More +
• Keywords:
  Aerosol Levels Air-flow Air-sampling Air-sampling-equipment Airway-resistance Author Keywords: Cutting Oils Automobile-repair-shops Automotive-industry Bronchial-asthma Coolants Cutting-oils Equipment-operators Exposure-assessment Exposure-limits Exposure-response Models Fluids Inhalation-studies Lung-disorders Lung-function Machine-operators Machine-shop-workers Machining Operations Machinists Metalworking Metalworking-fluids Mineral-oils Oils Pulmonary-function-tests Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory-system-disorders Smoking Spirometry Synthetics

  More +
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; Minnesota ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  15
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00189787
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 1989 Jun; 15(6):627-641
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1989
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard University, Boston Massachusetts
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19770930
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  19940630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ab22fd23725cd9730bc09f5b392c04873dc526dadafc7ace99ef7378e3be8ba3dc0048d1f5e34f17f7031ace89cebca398183b8dc912ae27f76f96ceb933054a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204073/cdc_204073_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 940.88 KB ]