title: Organic dust disease of airways.
abstract: Exposure to aerosols of organic dusts such as coffee, tea, spices, soy, fur, and animal food in an occupational setting can affect the respiratory health of industrial workers. Based on our experience with workers from many small industries processing organic materials, we discuss the clinical features and possible mechanisms responsible for the respiratory impairment associated with these types of dust exposure. Significantly higher prevalences for most chronic respiratory symptoms were found among exposed workers than among control workers. Smoking appears to aggravate these symptoms. A large number of exposed workers complained of acute symptoms which developed during the work shift. In exposed workers, significant across-shift reductions in lung function were recorded for all spirometric tests, but particularly for the flow rates at 50% and 25% of vital capacity on maximum expiratory flow-volume curves. Comparison of preshift measured ventilatory capacity tests with predicted normal values indicates that these workers demonstrate obstructive changes affecting primarily flow rate at low lung volumes. The data suggest that exposure to organic aerosols in industrial settings, particularly in conjunction with smoking, may be associated with the development of chronic obstructive lung disease.
authors.affiliation: Andrija Stampar School for Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zuskin
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Schachter
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kanceljak
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Witek
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017523:Croatia; D004391:Dust / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005525:Food-Processing Industry; D006197:Hair; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000209:etiology*; D008176:Lung Volume Measurements; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D004391:Dust