Table 1.
Common workplace hazards associated with occupational COPD.
| 1. Exposure to Mineral (Inorganic) Dusts |
| Coal |
| Silica and silicates |
| Asbestos |
| Cement |
| Synthetic fibers |
| Oil mist |
| Improper air conditioning systems * |
| 2. Metals ** |
| Cadmium |
| Osmium |
| Vanadium |
| Chlorine |
| Iron |
| Titanium |
| Chromium |
| Nickel |
| 3. Organic dust |
| Cotton and other textile fibers |
| Grain |
| Flour |
| Wood |
| Endotoxins |
| Animal products |
| Mixture of organic dusts: biomass |
| 4. Pesticides, insecticides, herbicides |
| Heptachlor |
| Dichlorvos |
| Permethrin |
| DDT |
| Carbofuran |
| Cyanazine |
| Paraquat |
| 5. Gases, vapors and fumes |
| Fire smoke |
| Volatile organic compounds (diesel exhaust ***, paints, varnishes, wax, cleaning or disinfecting products, organic solvents etc.) |
| Welding **** |
| Nitrates |
| Sulphur dioxide |
| Ozone |
| Ammonium |
| Isocyanates |
* Improper air conditioning systems contribute to the indoor air pollution by modifying physical factors (temperature, humidity), number of microparticles and concentration in volatile organic compounds, endotoxins and molds in the air. ** Metals are present in workplaces as inorganic dust (e.g., in toner powders) or in the composition of the fumes and gazes (e.g., welding). *** Diesel exhaust contains a large quantity of respirable particles, volatile organic compounds such as benzene, formaldehyde, naphthalene, n-hexane, toluene, xylene. **** Welding process creates a mixture of different particles, vapors, fumes and gases (metals, ozone, phosgene, fluorine nitrogen) depending on the type of welding, type of electrode, material to be welded, including the coating of its surface).