Exposure to welding fumes and chronic renal diseases, a negative case-referent study.
It was observed that some patients with glomerulonephritis or interstitial nephritis were welders. A hypothesis that welding fumes were an occupational hazard was put forward and initiated the following case-referent study. 143 cases were defined as living males, age 25 to 65 years, with renal disease which caused renal biopsy from 1976-1982. Three population-based referents for each case were selected from the national register of the total population matched by sex, age and community. Exposure was assessed by means of a questionnaire. Only 7% of the cases and 12% of the referents did not answer the questionnaire. There were no differences in exposure rates between cases and referents, even if exposure restrictions were applied. The power of the case-referent study was high.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009395:Nephritis, Interstitial / Q000209:etiology; D014896:Welding
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational