Abstract

Exposures to respiratory irritants encountered in aluminum smelters in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand have been suggested as the cause of “potroom asthma.” However, there remains disagreement in North America regarding the existence of this entity. This study was designed to assess whether asthma occurs excessively among potroom workers and if so, delineate dose-response relationships for possible causal risk factors. The asthma incidence ratio between potroom and nonpotroom workers after adjusting for smoking was 1.40. Although bivariate analyses showed a relationship between asthma incidence and exposure to total fluoride, gaseous fluoride, particulate fluoride, sulfur dioxide, and smoking, only the effects of gaseous fluoride (relative risk [RR] = 5.1) and smoking (RR = 7.7) remained significant in a multivariate model. Potroom asthma appears to occur at the studied U.S. aluminum smelters at doses within regulatory guidelines.

• Related Studies :

  • Asthma caused by potassium aluminium tetrafluoride: a case series

    The objective of this study is to describe a case-series of potassium aluminium tetrafluoride (KAlF4)-induced occupational asthma (OA) and/or occupational rhinitis (OR). The study involves five patients from a heat-exchanger production line who were examined (including specific inhalation challenge tests) for suspected OA and/or OR caused by a flux containing almost

  • Inflammatory markers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from human volunteers 2 hours after hydrogen fluoride exposure

    Fluoride has been in focus as a possible causal agent for respiratory symptoms amongst aluminium potroom workers for several decades. Previously, using bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), we demonstrated airway inflammation in healthy volunteers 24 hours after exposure to hydrogen fluoride (HF). The objective of the present study was to examine early

  • Environmental Fluoride 1977 by Rose & Marier

    The Associate Committee on Scientific Criteria for Environmental Quality was established by the National Research Council of Canada in response to a mandate provided by the Federal Government to develop scientific guidelines for defining the quality of the environment. The concern of the NRC Associate Committee is strictly with scientific

  • [Acute respiratory distress syndrome induced by hydrogen fluoride gas inhalation].

    A 21-year old man was referred to our hospital with severe respiratory distress and diffuse infiltrative shadows on chest radiograph. He had been exposed to irritant gas when polishing the inside of a stainless tank using a chemical cleaner containing hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid. He felt sick immediately after

  • Comparative Analysis of Hydrogen Fluoride Exposed Patients Based on Major Burn Criteria After the 2012 Gumi City Chemical Leak Disaster.

    This study conducted to analyze and compare the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of hydrogen fluoride exposed patients based on major burn criteria for the appropriate emergency department (ED) response to a mass casualty chemical spill. This retrospective cross-sectional study included the records of patients (n = 199) who visited the

• Related FAN Content :

  • Fluoride Enhances Toxicity of Beryllium

    Occupational exposure to beryllium is well-documented to put workers' health at risk. The two principal targets of beryllium poisoning are the respiratory system and the skin. Of all beryllium compounds, beryllium fluoride complexes (including beryllium fluoride and beryllium oxyfluoride) appear to be the most toxic. As shown below, studies dating back

  • Respiratory Risks from Occupational Fluoride Exposure

    Starting in the 1930s, scientists have observed that workers exposed to airborne fluorides suffer from an elevated rate of respiratory disorders. For over 50 years, however, US government and industry scientists made repeated assurances that the allowable level of fluoride dusts and gases in industrial workplaces would not cause any