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Content archived on 2022-11-21

Study of the prevalence of non-specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness at certain workplaces in the stell industry

Objective

The first aim of the research is to establish the prevalence and degree of non-specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness at certain workplaces in the steel industry characterised by different intensities of airborne pollution. The five types of workplace, in decreasing order of risk, are: coking plants, blast furnaces, steel mills, rolling mills and offices.

The second aim is to characterise and quantify the particulate or gaseous airborne pollutants at the various workplaces, with a view to identifying the agent(s) responsible in cases of non-specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness.

Five groups of workers in the steel industry (totalling approximately 600) will be studied, namely:

- 3 groups involved in the manufacture of steel and coke and unequivocally exposed to polluted atmospheres (workers in coking plants, blast furnaces and steel mills);
- 2 groups receiving little or no occupational exposure (workers in the rolling mills and offices).

Non-specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness will be measured precisely and on a reproducible basis using histamine or methacholine inhalation tests.

The mean values of the quantitative variables in the various groups will be compared by means of variance analysis.

METHODS AND MEANS BY WHICH THE AIMS ARE TO BE ACHIEVED

Following anamnesis and a clinical examination, respiratory function tests and a bronchial responsiveness test will be performed by a trained technician who will not know what type of work each volunteer does.

The functional tests will include spirometry, measurement of the flow-volume curve, measurement of the CO diffusion coefficient by the single-breath method and measurement of dynamic resistance and specific conductance.

The inhalation tests will use methacholine solutions doubling in concentration each time up to 32 mg/ml. The test is considered positive and stopped as soon as a 20% drop in the reference FEV1 level is observed.

Topic(s)

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Call for proposal

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Coordinator

C.H.U. Domaine Universitair du Sart Tilman
EU contribution
No data
Address
Bte 35
4000 LIEGE
Belgium

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Total cost
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