Abstract

In this study, the authors evaluated the relative risk of residential exposure to air pollution from an aluminum plant. The authors used government-compiled data to compare hospital admissions in 1997 for selected respiratory diseases for 2 communities in Brazil. One community, Ouro Preto, was located near an aluminum plant, and the other, Diamantina, was located far from any source of industrial air pollution. The relative risk of hospital admissions for selected respiratory diseases was 4.11 (95% confidence interval = 2.96, 5.70). The risk was highest among individuals between 30 and 39 yr of age (relative risk = 11.70; 95% confidence interval = 1.52, 89.96). Admissions per thousand residents were highest for individuals under 10 yr of age and for individuals older than 70 yr of age. The authors assessed exposure with environmental measurements. Dust deposition was collected in the residences of participants (n = 36 in each location), and the dust was analyzed for aluminum, manganese, magnesium, and calcium content. There were significantly different (p < .05) levels of aluminum in the 2 communities; the highest quantities were found near the aluminum plant. Measurements from independent studies indicated that both 24-hr maximum values and annual mean concentrations of suspended particulate matter exceeded the average of international standards in Ouro Preto (i.e., aluminum plant area). These results suggested that exposure to greater air pollution in the aluminum plant area (i.e., Ouro Preto, Brazil) versus the control area resulted in statistically significant health effects in those individuals who resided in Ouro Preto.

• Related Studies :

  • 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

  • Fluoride Exposure Induces Inhibition of Sodium-and Potassium-Activated Adenosine Triphosphatase (Na+, K+-ATPase) Enzyme Activity: Molecular Mechanisms and Implications for Public Health.

    In this study, several lines of evidence are provided to show that Na+ , K+ -ATPase activity exerts vital roles in normal brain development and function and that loss of enzyme activity is implicated in neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, as well as increased risk of cancer, metabolic, pulmonary and

  • Nonmalignant mortality among workers in six Norwegian aluminum plants

    OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the associations between exposure to fluorides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and mortality from nonmalignant diseases among workers in the Norwegian primary aluminum industry. METHODS: Mortality among 10,857 men, employed for more than 3 years in 1 of 6 aluminum plants, was investigated from 1962 to 1996,

  • A longitudinal study of respiratory symptoms in aluminum potroom workers

    The influence of occupational work exposure and host factors on the incidence of dyspnea and wheezing as reported in questionnaires was examined in 1,301 new employees in aluminum electrolytic potrooms. The incidence appeared to decrease after 2 yr of exposure, and the estimated probability of development of symptoms was nearly

  • Exposure to hydrogen fluoride: an experimental study in humans of concentrations of fluoride in plasma, sympto

    OBJECTIVES: To study the absorption of inhaled hydrogen fluoride (HF) by measuring plasma fluorides and HF concentrations in the breathing zone during exposure to HF. A possible dose-effect relation was investigated by following airway symptoms and lung function-that is, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity

• 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