| Document ID (ISN) | 52806 |
| CIS number |
89-1931 |
| ISSN - Serial title |
0007-1072 - British Journal of Industrial Medicine |
| Year |
1988 |
| Convention or series no. |
|
| Author(s) |
Musk A.W., Peach S., Ryan G. |
| Title |
Occupational asthma in a mineral analysis laboratory |
| Bibliographic information |
June 1988, Vol.45, No.6, p.381-386. Illus. 18 ref. |
| Abstract |
An epidemic of symptoms suggestive of occupational asthma in workers in a mineral analysis laboratory necessitating exposure to vapours of hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, nitric, perchloric, and sulfuric acid solutions was investigated. Variable airflow obstruction was confirmed by serial measurement of FEV1 in 2 subjects who showed 18% and 22% falls in FEV1 during a workshift. Of a workforce of 21 laboratory staff, 20 took part in a study of ventilatory capacity and bronchial reactivity. All but one subject had normal ventilatory capacity but 5 had bronchial hyperreactivity. Four of the 5 with hyperreactivity had a history of chest tightness at work. In 2 of 4 subjects with hyperreactivity, bronchial reactivity has returned to normal after 205 and 376 days away from work, suggesting that bronchial inflammation resulted from occupational exposure to acid vapours. |
| Descriptors (primary) |
hydrochloric acid; laboratories; nitric acid; perchloric acid; minerals; asthma; sulfuric acid; hydrofluoric acid |
| Descriptors (secondary) |
laboratory work; smoking; symptoms; respiratory function tests; aerosols; pulmonary function; questionnaire survey; toxic substances |
| Document type |
D - Periodical articles |
| Subject(s) |
Occupational pathology
|
| Broad subject area(s) |
Chemical safety
|
| Browse category(ies) |
Inorganic substances
Diseases of the respiratory system (except for pneumoconiosis & similar)
Inorganic sulfur compounds
Halogens and their inorganic compounds
|
