A follow-up study of airway symptoms and lung function among residents and workers 5.5 years after an oil tank explosion

BMC Pulmonary Medicine

Research Article

Bente Elisabeth Moen¹  Stein Håkon Låstad Lygre²  Bjørg Eli Hollund²  Cecilie Svanes³  Magne Bråtveit⁴  Jens-Tore Granslo⁴ 

[1] Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway;Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway;Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway;Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway;Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway;Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway;

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

DOI  :  10.1186/s12890-016-0357-3

 received in 2016-02-20, accepted in 2016-12-22,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAssess if people who lived or worked in an area polluted after an oil tank explosion had persistent respiratory health impairment as compared to a non-exposed population 5.5 years after the event.MethodsA follow-up study 5.5 years after the explosion, 330 persons aged 18–67 years, compared lung function, lung function decline and airway symptoms among exposed persons (residents <6 km from the accident site or working in the industrial harbour at the time of the explosion) with a non-exposed group (residence >20 km away). Also men in the exposed group who had participated in accident related tasks (firefighting or clean-up of pollution) were compared with men who did not. Data were analysed using Poisson regression, adjusted for smoking, occupational exposure, atopy and age.ResultsExposed men who had participated in accident related tasks had higher prevalence of lower airway symptoms after 5.5 years (n = 24 [73%]) than non-exposed men (28 [48%]), (adjusted relative risk 1.51 [95% confidence interval 1.07, 2.14]). Among men who participated in accident related tasks FEV1 decline was 48 mL per year, and 12 mL among men who did not (adjusted difference −34 mL per year [−67 mL, −1 mL]), and at follow-up FEV1/FVC ratio was 71.4 and 74.2% respectively, (adjusted difference −3.0% [−6.0, 0.0%]).ConclusionResidents and workers had more airway symptoms and impaired lung function 5.5 years after an oil tank explosion, most significant for a group of men engaged in firefighting and clean-up of pollution after the accident. Public health authorities should be aware of long-term consequences after such accidents.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017