Airway symptoms and lung function in the local population after the oil tank explosion in Gulen, Norway

BMC Pulmonary Medicine

Research Article

Nils Magerøy¹  Bjørg Eli Hollund¹  Ågot Irgens¹  Bente Elisabeth Moen²  Jens-Tore Granslo²  Cecilie Svanes³  Magne Bråtveit⁴ 

[1] Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway;Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway;Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway;Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway;Institute of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway;Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway;

关键词: Airway symptoms;    Environmental pollutants;    Explosion;    Lung function;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2466-12-76

 received in 2012-01-13, accepted in 2012-12-05,  发布年份 2012

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundOil tanks containing a mixture of hydrocarbons, including sulphuric compounds, exploded and caught fire in an industrial harbour. This study assesses airway symptoms and lung function in the nearby population 1½ years after the explosion.MethodsA cross-sectional study included individuals ≥18 years old. Individuals living <6 km (sub-groups <3km and 3–6 km) from the accident site formed the exposed group, individuals living >20 km away formed a control group. A questionnaire and spirometry tests were completed by 223 exposed individuals (response rate men 70%, women 75%) and 179 control individuals (response rate men 51%, women 65%). Regression analyses included adjustment for smoking, occupational exposure, atopy, infection in the preceding month and age. Analyses of symptoms were also adjusted for stress reactions related to the accident.ResultsExposed individuals experienced significantly more blocked nose (odds ratio 1.7 [95% confidence interval 1.0, 2.8]), rhinorrhoea (1.6 [1.1, 3.3]), nose irritation (3.4 [2.0, 5.9]), sore throat (3.1 [1.8, 5.5]), morning cough (3.5 [2.0, 5.5]), daily cough (2.2 [1.4, 3.7]), cough >3 months a year (2.9 [1.5, 5.3]) and cough with phlegm (1.9 [1.2, 3.1]) than control individuals. A significantly increasing trend was found for nose symptoms and cough, depending on the proximity of home address to explosion site (daily cough, 3-6km 1.8 [1.0, 3.1], <3km 3.0 [1.7, 6.4]). Lung function measurements were significantly lower in the exposed group than in the control group, FEV1 adjusted mean difference −123 mL [95% confidence interval −232, -14]), FEV1% predicted −2.5 [−5.5, 0.5], FVC −173 mL [− 297, -50], FVC% predicted −3.1 [− 5.9, -0.4], and airway obstruction (GOLD II/III).ConclusionsBased on cross sectional analyses, individuals living in an area with air pollution from an oil tank explosion had more airway symptoms and lower lung function than a control group 1½ years after the incident.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Granslo et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012