A Health Surveillance Study of Workers Employed at a Copper Smelter-Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Copper on Lung Function Using Spirometric Data.

J Occup Environ Med

Department of Ramboll Deutschland GmbH, Essen, Germany (Ms Haase, Mr Birk); Ramboll US Consulting, Inc., Amherst, Massachusetts (Dr Bachand); Cardno ChemRisk, Boston, Massachusetts (Dr Mundt).

Published: August 2021

Objective: Significantly lower permissible occupational exposure limits for copper dust are being discussed in Europe and other jurisdictions. However, little data are published on exposures in occupational settings and copper-specific effects in humans. Hence, a health surveillance study was performed among workers employed at a copper smelter between 1972 and 2018.

Methods: Possible effects of long-term exposures to dust containing copper on lung function were assessed. Specifically, declines in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) were compared between a copper-exposed and control group. Cumulative copper exposures were derived from historical airborne monitoring data.

Results: FEV1 declines among exposed and control never smokers were similar to a typical age-dependent decline of 29 mL/y.

Conclusion: The study findings indicate that cumulative inhalable copper dust exposure averaging 4.61 mg/m3-years over an exposure duration of ∼22 years is not associated with adverse effects on lung function.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000002252DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

lung function
12
health surveillance
8
surveillance study
8
workers employed
8
employed copper
8
copper lung
8
copper dust
8
copper
7
study workers
4
copper smelter-effects
4

Similar Publications

Importance: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often undiagnosed. Although genetic risk plays a significant role in COPD susceptibility, its utility in guiding spirometry testing and identifying undiagnosed cases is unclear.

Objective: To determine whether a COPD polygenic risk score (PRS) enhances the identification of undiagnosed COPD beyond a case-finding questionnaire (eg, the Lung Function Questionnaire) using conventional risk factors and respiratory symptoms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a well described and potentially fatal complication of trastuzumab-deruxtecan (T-DXd). It is currently unknown if specific monitoring is beneficial in the early detection of ILD in these patients. We describe the efficacy and feasibility of a novel ILD monitoring protocol in breast cancer patients treated with T-DXd at our institution.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The priorities and concerns of sarcoidosis patients in the United States (US) have not been well-described.

Methods: A survey constructed by sarcoidosis patients and doctors was administered to US sarcoidosis patients. The survey queried patients concerning their demographics, disease state, disease impact on health and well-being, health care priorities and impressions of sarcoidosis care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Platelets are crucial players in hemostasis and thrombosis, but also contribute to immune regulation and host defense, using different receptors, signaling pathways and effector functions, respectively. Whether distinct subsets of platelets specialize in these diverse tasks is insufficiently understood. Here, we employed an in vivo pulse-labelling method in Mus musculus models for tracking in vivo platelet ageing and its functional implications.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!