title: Welding fume exposure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in welders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Occupational exposure is estimated to contribute 15% to the burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Welding fumes are suspected to accelerate the decline of lung function and development of COPD.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between welding fume exposure and COPD in Korean shipyard welders.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study involved a group of male welders working at two shipyards who underwent an annual health examination in 2010. Subjects completed a questionnaire about smoking habits and occupational history and a pulmonary function test (PFT) was carried out with strict quality control measures. Welding fume exposure concentrations were estimated using 884 measurements taken between 2002 and 2009 in one of the shipyards. Multiple linear and logistic regression was employed to evaluate the association between cumulative fume exposure and lung function parameters, controlling for age, height and cigarette smoking.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred and forty subjects participated, with a mean age of 48 and mean work duration of 15 years. The mean cumulative fume exposure was 7.7mg/m(3). The prevalence of COPD was 15%. FEV1 and FVC showed non-significant negative correlations with cumulative fume exposure. Odds ratios of COPD were significantly elevated for the middle (3.9; 95% CI 1.4-13.3) and high exposure groups (3.8; 95% CI 1.03-16.2) compared with the low fume exposure group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings support an association between welding fume exposure and increased risk of COPD. Further prospective study is needed to investigate whether this is a causal relationship.
authors.affiliation: National Cancer Control Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang 410-769, Korea.
authors.forename: D-H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Dong-A University, Busan 602-715, Korea, kimji@dau.ac.kr.
authors.forename: J-I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Busan Paik Hospital, Inje University, Busan 614-735, Korea.
authors.forename: K-H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, Incheon 403-711, Korea.
authors.forename: S-W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Yoo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005740:Gases / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014896:Welding
chemical_list: D005740:Gases
keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; metal fume; occupation; welder; welding.