Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Respiratory Symptoms in US Trucking Industry Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chiu Y ; Garshick E ; Hammond SK ; Hart JE ; Laden F ; Smith, Thomas J.
• Description:
  Objective: There is a large body of epidemiologic evidence supporting an association of adult exposures to secondhand smoke (SHS) with adverse effects on respiratory health. Epidemiologic studies have considered exposure in the home and the workplace, including white-collar or office environments and service industry locations, but no study has focused on blue-collar environments. In this study we examined the association of SHS exposure with chronic respiratory tract symptoms among employees in the United States unionized trucking industry. Material and Methods: We mailed a questionnaire, including questions on health and lifetime exposure to secondhand smoke, to 3689 current and recently retired unionized trucking industry workers. Using logistic regression we examined the association of recent and lifetime exposures to secondhand smoke with chronic phlegm, chronic cough, and any wheeze, as defined by American Thoracic Society criteria. We considered confounding by age, gender, race, BMI, work shift, region of the country, urban residence, and occupational exposures. Analyses were performed stratified by smoking status. Results: A total of 2294 questionnaires were returned (64% response rate), and the responders were representative of the mailing population. In analyses adjusted for age, gender, race, education, smoking status (current, former, never), job title, retirement, work shift, region of the country, and urban residence, the odds ratio for any respiratory symptoms was greater for those who reported recent exposure to secondhand smoke compared with those who did not (OR = 1.59; 95% CI = 1.15-2.19). Among never smokers, the adjusted OR for chronic cough was 1.67 (95% CI = 1.00-2.81), for chronic phlegm OR = 1.59 (95% CI = 0.98-2.59), and for any wheeze OR = 1.90 (95% CI = 1.41-2.56). Conclusions: In this group of trucking industry employees, recent exposures to secondhand smoke were related to elevations in respiratory symptoms. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Aging
  • Demography
  • Education
  • Environmental Exposure
  • Epidemiology
  • Lung Diseases
  • Men
  • Occupational Health
  • Race Factors
  • Respiratory Tract Diseases
  More +
• Keywords:
  • Secondhand smoke
  • Exposure levels
  • Risk factors
  • Epidemiology
  • Health effects
  • Respiratory system disorders
  • Pulmonary system disorders
  • Workers
  • Work environment
  • Environmental exposure
  More +
• ISSN:
  1044-3983
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20057351
• Citation:
  Epidemiology 2007 Sep; 18(5)(Suppl):S83
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Epidemiology
• Supplement:
  Suppl
• End Date:
  20280630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214734/cdc_214734_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 285.66 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:632c02b879eecf8b9a83e11ad449aad45891aa603dd31bdde249054d39e4d8cef5556fb8d568142c42434c652b9322e4aa7d2805a0d784cc99a28c6e88ab8ed9