Ventilatory function in workers exposed to tea and wood dust

Abstract

Changes in ventilatory capacity during the work shift were studied in workers exposed to tea dust in two tea-packing plants, wood dusts in two furniture factories, and virtually no dust in an inoperational power station. The FEV1 and FVC in workers exposed to dust were found to decline during the work shift by a small but significant volume. The MMFR, V(max) 50% and V(max) 75% were too variable to display any trend. No dose-response relationship could be discerned between the fall in workers' ventilatory capacity and the concentration of airborne dust or microbes to which they were exposed. Bronchodilators could reverse the fall in FEV1.