Skip to main content
PMC home page
Occupational and Environmental Medicine logoLink to Occupational and Environmental Medicine
. 2000 Apr;57(4):268–273. doi: 10.1136/oem.57.4.268

Symptoms, airway responsiveness, and exposure to dust in beech and oak wood workers

A Bohadana 1, N Massin 1, P Wild 1, J Toamain 1, S Engel 1, P Goutet 1
PMCID: PMC1739936  PMID: 10810114

Abstract

OBJECTIVES—To investigate the relation between levels of cumulative exposure to wood dust and respiratory symptoms and the occurrence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness among beech and oak workers.
METHODS—114 Male woodworkers from five furniture factories and 13 male unexposed controls were examined. The unexposed control group was supplemented by 200 male historical controls. Statistical analyses were performed excluding and including the historical controls. Dust concentration was measured by personal sampling methods. Cumulative exposure to dust was calculated for each woodworker by multiplying the duration of the work by the intensity of exposure (years.mg/m3). Bronchial hyperresponsiveness was assessed by the methacholine bronchial challenge test. Subjects were labelled methacholine bronchial challenge positive if forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) fell by ⩾20%. The linear dose-response slope was calculated as the last dose divided by the total dose given.
RESULTS—443 Dust samples were collected. The median cumulative exposure to dust was 110 years.mg/m3 with lower and upper quartiles at 70 and 160 years.mg/m3 Overall, no declines in FEV1 and forced vital capacity (FVC) were found with increasing exposures. A dose-response relation was found between intensity of exposure on the one hand, and sore throat, increased prevalence of positive methacholine bronchial challenge tests, and steeper dose-response slope, on the other.
CONCLUSION—Exposure to oak and beech dust may lead to the development of sore throat and bronchial hyperresponsiveness.


Keywords: bronchial hyperresponsiveness; wood dust; beech; oak

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (126.6 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ATS statement--Snowbird workshop on standardization of spirometry. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1979 May;119(5):831–838. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1979.119.5.831. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bohadana A. B., Massin N., Wild P., Kolopp M. N., Toamain J. P. Respiratory symptoms and airway responsiveness in apparently healthy workers exposed to flour dust. Eur Respir J. 1994 Jun;7(6):1070–1076. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chan-Yeung M., Ashley M. J., Corey P., Willson G., Dorken E., Grzybowski S. A respiratory survey of cedar mill workers. I. Prevalence of symptoms and pulmonary function abnormalities. J Occup Med. 1978 May;20(5):323–327. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chan-Yeung M., Barton G. M., MacLean L., Grzybowski S. Occupational asthma and rhinitis due to Western red cedar (Thuja plicata). Am Rev Respir Dis. 1973 Nov;108(5):1094–1102. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1973.108.5.1094. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Chan-Yeung M., Lam S., Koener S. Clinical features and natural history of occupational asthma due to western red cedar (Thuja plicata). Am J Med. 1982 Mar;72(3):411–415. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(82)90497-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Chan-Yeung M., Lam S. Occupational asthma. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1986 Apr;133(4):686–703. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1986.133.4.686. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Chan-Yeung M., MacLean L., Paggiaro P. L. Follow-up study of 232 patients with occupational asthma caused by western red cedar (Thuja plicata). J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1987 May;79(5):792–796. doi: 10.1016/0091-6749(87)90212-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Chan-Yeung M., Vedal S., Kus J., MacLean L., Enarson D., Tse K. S. Symptoms, pulmonary function, and bronchial hyperreactivity in western red cedar workers compared with those in office workers. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1984 Dec;130(6):1038–1041. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1984.130.6.1038. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Côté J., Kennedy S., Chan-Yeung M. Sensitivity and specificity of PC20 and peak expiratory flow rate in cedar asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1990 Mar;85(3):592–598. doi: 10.1016/0091-6749(90)90098-o. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Dahlqvist M., Johard U., Alexandersson R., Bergström B., Ekholm U., Eklund A., Milosevich B., Tornling G., Ulfvarson U. Lung function and precipitating antibodies in low exposed wood trimmers in Sweden. Am J Ind Med. 1992;21(4):549–559. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700210410. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Malmberg P. O., Rask-Andersen A., Larsson K. A., Stjernberg N., Sundblad B. M., Eriksson K. Increased bronchial responsiveness in workers sawing Scots pine. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1996 Mar;153(3):948–952. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.153.3.8630578. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Malo J. L., Cartier A., Desjardins A., Van de Weyer R., Vandenplas O. Occupational asthma caused by oak wood dust. Chest. 1995 Sep;108(3):856–858. doi: 10.1378/chest.108.3.856. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Massin N., Bohadana A. B., Wild P., Goutet P., Kirstetter H., Toamain J. P. Airway responsiveness, respiratory symptoms, and exposures to soluble oil mist in mechanical workers. Occup Environ Med. 1996 Nov;53(11):748–752. doi: 10.1136/oem.53.11.748. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Massin N., Bohadana A. B., Wild P., Héry M., Toamain J. P., Hubert G. Respiratory symptoms and bronchial responsiveness in lifeguards exposed to nitrogen trichloride in indoor swimming pools. Occup Environ Med. 1998 Apr;55(4):258–263. doi: 10.1136/oem.55.4.258. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Milne J., Gandevia B. Occupational asthma and rhinitis due to western (Canadian) red cedar (Thuja plicata). Med J Aust. 1969 Oct 11;2(15):741–744. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1969.tb107378.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Noertjojo H. K., Dimich-Ward H., Peelen S., Dittrick M., Kennedy S. M., Chan-Yeung M. Western red cedar dust exposure and lung function: a dose-response relationship. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1996 Oct;154(4 Pt 1):968–973. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.154.4.8887593. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. O'Connor G., Sparrow D., Taylor D., Segal M., Weiss S. Analysis of dose-response curves to methacholine. An approach suitable for population studies. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1987 Dec;136(6):1412–1417. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/136.6.1412. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Quanjer P. H., Tammeling G. J., Cotes J. E., Pedersen O. F., Peslin R., Yernault J. C. Lung volumes and forced ventilatory flows. Report Working Party Standardization of Lung Function Tests, European Community for Steel and Coal. Official Statement of the European Respiratory Society. Eur Respir J Suppl. 1993 Mar;16:5–40. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Scheeper B., Kromhout H., Boleij J. S. Wood-dust exposure during wood-working processes. Ann Occup Hyg. 1995 Apr;39(2):141–154. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sosman A. J., Schlueter D. P., Fink J. N., Barboriak J. J. Hypersensitivity to wood dust. N Engl J Med. 1969 Oct 30;281(18):977–980. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196910302811802. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Vedal S., Chan-Yeung M., Enarson D., Fera T., Maclean L., Tse K. S., Langille R. Symptoms and pulmonary function in western red cedar workers related to duration of employment and dust exposure. Arch Environ Health. 1986 May-Jun;41(3):179–183. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1986.9935774. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Vedal S., Enarson D. A., Chan H., Ochnio J., Tse K. S., Chan-Yeung M. A longitudinal study of the occurrence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness in western red cedar workers. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1988 Mar;137(3):651–655. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/137.3.651. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Wild P., Jovanovic B., Massin N. On planning the number of controls in cross-sectional studies using previous studies: an application in occupational epidemiology. J Epidemiol Biostat. 1999;4(2):93–99. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Occupational and Environmental Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES