CHEMICAL AIR POLLUTION AND THE PREVALENCE OF RESPIRATORY DISORDERS AND DISEASES

摘要

Considering that a given environmental chronical exposure to chemical substances used in oil industry may influence the risk of occupational respiratory pathology, our study proposed to assign the prevalence of respiratory disorders and diseases in oil company workers from an eastern Romanian region, by using a simplified questionnaire. Method of sampling and randomised selection in 3020 participants included every the 14-th case from the workers in data base. The prevalence study, conducted from 01.01.2000-28.11.2003, included 323 subjects (187 females and 136 males) mean aged 39.4 y.o. +/- 7.136 s.d. (lim: 24-52 years), having a mean perriod of exposure of 12.4 years +/- 7.253 s.d. (lim: 1-32 years). All randomised individuals having respiratory symptoms (N=205), performed lung function test. Those workers exposed or not to direct chemical air pollution with the best forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) < 80% of predicted value were selected. The prevalence of respiratory diseases and disorders among symptomatic workers was increased in both groups of workers exposed or not (111/132; 84.09% versus 52/73; 71.23%; p<0.03). Chemical air pollution in oil company workers revealed a strong work-exposure related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among nonsmokers and active smokers (p<0.00003) and an increased risk of bronchial asthma as time of exposure becomes longer than 20 years (p < 0.002).