Sulphur dioxide exposure and lung function in a Norwegian and Russian population living close to a nickel smelter.
The Norwegian-Russian border area is polluted by sulphur dioxide (SO2) emitted from a Russian nickel smelter in the city of Nikel. We studied the effects of daily variations in SO2 on the lung function levels of people on both sides of the border. A cross-sectional population-based study was performed among adults in Sør-Varanger, Norway (n = 3438) and Nikel, Russia (n = 1613). All subjects were assigned 24 h mean SO2 concentrations for their day of screening and the day before on basis of residency. The SO2-concentrations were compared with the daily recordings of forced expiratory volume in one second expressed as percentage of the predicted value (FEV1% predicted). In Sør-Varanger, no significant associations between SO2 and FEV1% predicted were found. In Nikel, FEV1% predicted was exceeded non-systematically in some of the exposure categories (10-50, 50-90, or > 90 micrograms/m3) compared to the reference exposure group (0-10 micrograms/m3). In conclusion, neither of the study populations suffered from a measurable reduction in lung function when SO2 increased above the reference level.
Smith-Sivertsen
T
T
Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway. Tone.Smith-Sivertsen@isf.uib.no
Bykov
V
V
Melbye
H
H
Tchachtchine
V
V
Selnes
A
A
Lund
E
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008906:Mining; D009532:Nickel; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011336:Probability; D012016:Reference Values; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis
D000393:Air Pollutants; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide; D009532:Nickel