Rapid decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and the development of bronchitic symptoms among new Chinese coal miners.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between the development of bronchitic symptoms and the early rapid decline of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1).


METHODS
A two-stage and a mixed model approach were used to analyze data from 260 newly hired Chinese coal miners who completed approximately 5 to 16 health surveys during 3 years.


RESULTS
The proportion of miners with onset of bronchitic symptoms was significantly elevated after 11 months of underground mining. Miners with incident symptoms had greater declines in FEV1 compared with those who did not (-65 vs -23 mL/yr, P < 0.05). At 24 months follow-up, FEV1 had declined an average 235 mL among the 26 miners who developed bronchitic symptoms and smoked, compared with a decline of 96 mL among the 132 nonsmoking miners without symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
Among new coal miners, a sharp early decline in FEV1 is associated with the development of bronchitic symptoms.
Wang
Mei-Lin
ML
Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
Wu
Zhi-En
ZE
Du
Qin-Guo
QG
Peng
Kai-Liang
KL
Li
Ya-Dong
YD
Li
Shao-Kui
SK
Han
Gui-Hai
GH
Petsonk
Edward L
EL
D000328:Adult; D001988:Bronchiolitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003032:Coal Mining; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies