Acute effects of exposure to air contaminants in a sawmill on healthy volunteers.
OBJECTIVE
To study whether air contaminants in sawmills can induce acute changes in the upper and lower airways of previously non-exposed subjects.


METHODS
Nineteen healthy volunteers were examined to find the concentration of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in nasal lavage fluid and lung function before and after five hour exposure to dusts and fumes generated in a sawmill where timber from Scots pine was sawed. When exposed, the subjects had respirators with and without a particle filter.


RESULTS
The median for daily time weighted average concentration of total dust for subjects with respirators without a filter was 0.13 mg/m3, which was significantly higher than the median of 0.04 mg/m3 for subjects who had respirators with a filter. The median for the concentration of IL-6 in the nasal lavage fluid increased after exposure from 0.5 to 5.9 pg/ml in subjects with respirators without a particle filter (P < 0.05). The increase of the concentration of IL-6 was significantly correlated with the dust concentration. A decrease in transfer factor of the lung was significantly correlated with daily time weighted average concentrations of terpenes.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that healthy volunteers, exposed to air contaminants in a sawmill, show a slight inflammatory reaction. Also, the results of the study indicate the importance of decreasing the concentrations of wood dust in the work environment.
Dahlqvist
M
M
Department of Environmental Technology and Work Science, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
Palmberg
L
L
Malmberg
P
P
Sundblad
B M
BM
Ulfvarson
U
U
Zhiping
W
W
D000328:Adult; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000378:metabolism; D004391:Dust / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017817:Nasal Lavage Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D014934:Wood
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D004391:Dust; D015850:Interleukin-6; D002248:Carbon Monoxide