Pulmonary function in workers exposed to diesel exhausts: The effect of control measures
- Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (Sweden)
To assess the protective effect of exhausts pipe filters or respirators on pulmonary function, 15 workers in a tunnel construction site, truck and loading machine drivers, rock workers, and others were studied. The total and respirable dust, combustible matter in respirable dust, carbon monoxide, nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide were measured for each subject during entire work shifts. The effect of the exposure on the lung function variables was measured by dynamic spirometry, carbon monoxide single breath technique, and nitrogen single breath wash-out. The exhaust pipe filtering had a protective effect, directly discernible in the drivers on vital capacity and FEV1.0 and for the whole group on FEV% and TLco. The dust respirators had no effect, probably because of the difficulties in correctly using personal protection under the circumstances in the tunnel. In the absence of a true exposure assessment, control measures for diesel exhausts can be tested by medical effect studies. Catalytic particle filters of diesel exhausts are one method of rendering the emissions less irritant, although they will not remove irritant gases. An indicator of diesel exhaust exposure should include the particle fraction of the diesel exhausts, but a discrimination between different sources of organic dust must be possible.
- OSTI ID:
- 5680855
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Industrial Medicine; (USA), Vol. 19:3; ISSN 0271-3586
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CARBON MONOXIDE
HEALTH HAZARDS
DIESEL ENGINES
EXHAUST GASES
LUNGS
SENSITIVITY
NITROGEN OXIDES
PARTICULATES
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
DUSTS
FILTRATION
INHALATION
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
PERSONNEL
RESPIRATORS
BODY
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CONTROL
ENGINES
FLUIDS
GASEOUS WASTES
GASES
HAZARDS
HEAT ENGINES
INTAKE
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
POLLUTION CONTROL
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SEPARATION PROCESSES
WASTES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology