title: Occupational asthma in the aluminum smelters of Australia and New Zealand: 1991-2006.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the incidence of occupational asthma in the seven aluminum smelters of Australia and New Zealand from 1991 to 2006.
  
  
  METHODS
  Incidence and exposure data were collected by survey from the smelters prospectively during the study period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of occupational asthma across all smelters combined was highest in 1992 at 9.46/1,000/year, declining to 0.36/1,000/year in 2006; a 96.2% reduction. The incidence of occupational asthma was correlated with geometric mean total fluoride concentration, measured as personal samples from employees undertaking anode changing (r(s)  = 0.497, P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The control of exposures, respiratory protection and pre-placement medical assessments undertaken during the study period seem to have contributed to the substantial decline in occupational asthma incidence.
authors.affiliation: Australian Aluminium Council's Health Panel, Applecross, WA 6953, Australia. michael.donoghue@alcoa.com.au
authors.forename: A Michael
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Donoghue
authors.forename: Neale
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Frisch
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ison
authors.forename: Gerry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Walpole
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Capil
authors.forename: Clive
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Curl
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Corleto
authors.forename: Bill
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.forename: Raewyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Robson
authors.forename: Deon
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Viljoen
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum / Q000633:toxicity*; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D000535:Aluminum