Respiratory symptoms and ventilatory capacity in workers in a vegetable pickling and mustard production facility

Details

• Personal Author:
  Mustajbegovic J ; Rienzi N ; Schachter EN ; Zuskin E
• Description:
  The prevalence of respiratory symptoms and ventilatory capacity abnormalities was investigated in workers employed in a pickling factory in Varazdin, Croatia. Workers in the factory were employed in preserving different vegetables and producing mustard. Workers were exposed to vapors of vinegar, 4% acetic-acid (64197), during the pickling process. The study examined the respiratory findings in 117 women. The workers were divided into three job groups: pickling (36), packing (37), and mustard (44). There were significantly higher prevalences of chronic cough, chest tightness, nasal catarrh, and sinusitis in all three exposed groups of workers compared to controls. The prevalence of all chronic respiratory symptoms was similar in the three exposed groups, except for nasal catarrh, which was significantly higher among those doing pickling (47.2%) than working with mustard (18.2%). Occupational asthma was recorded in three of the packing workers and in three of the mustard workers. All of these had worked initially as pickling workers, but due to progressive symptoms had been transferred to the packing department and mustard making area. Pickling workers who were nonsmokers had higher prevalences for all symptoms than did pickling workers who were smokers, the differences being significant for dryness of the throat and nasal secretions. Pickling workers employed for more than 1 year had significantly higher prevalences for all acute symptoms than did those exposed for 1 year or less, except for dyspnea and bleeding of the nose. Picklers working for more than 1 year had greater across shift reductions for all spirometric parameters tested than those working for less than 1 year. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Acetamides Food-Processing Industry Lung Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory Function Tests Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Smokers Tobacco Products

  More +
• Keywords:
  Acetic-acids Cigarette-smoking Food-processing-industry Food-processing-workers Lung-function NIOSH-Grant NIOSH-Publication Occupational-exposure Pulmonary-function-tests Pulmonary-system-disorders
• ISSN:
  0340-0131
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  457-461
• Volume:
  64
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00227805
• Citation:
  Int Arch Occup Environ Health 1993 Feb; 64(6):457-461
• Contact Point Address:
  Medicine Mount Sinai Medical Center One Gustave L Levy Place New York, N Y 10029
• CAS Registry Number:
  Acetic acid (CAS RN 64-19-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1993
• NORA Priority Area:
  Pulmonary System Disorders
• Performing Organization:
  Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19880701
• Source Full Name:
  International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health
• End Date:
  20020331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7b1a5800537f4f3e2a111dc8786d3902f9fce359cdd58772e48c48801cfb182a6bfb8415727e06b02dfafc0c87389fada9f7e8fe158cd3d88300a2013c8e7102
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/205524/cdc_205524_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 513.96 KB ]