Respiratory symptoms among Danish waste collectors

Waste collectors are exposed to vehicle exhaust, bad weather conditions and microorganisms which may increase the risk of respiratory problems. This nationwide survey among Danish waste collectors evaluates self-reported respiratory symptoms with focus on chronic bronchitis. Altogether 1,515 (76%) m...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine 1997-01, Vol.4 (1), p.69-74
Main Authors: Hansen, Johnni, Ivens, Ulla I, Breum, Niels O, Nielsen, Morten, Würtz, Helle, Poulsen Poulsen, Otto M, Ebbehøj, Niels Ebbehøj
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Airborne microorganisms
Bronchitis
Cough
Epidemiology
Generalized linear models
Health problems
Microorganisms
Occupational exposure
Pruritus
Questionnaires
Respiratory function
Spores
Vehicle emissions
Working conditions
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Waste collectors are exposed to vehicle exhaust, bad weather conditions and microorganisms which may increase the risk of respiratory problems. This nationwide survey among Danish waste collectors evaluates self-reported respiratory symptoms with focus on chronic bronchitis. Altogether 1,515 (76%) male Danish waste collectors and a comparison group of 423 park workers completed a questionnaire on work conditions and health problems. An exposure matrix, based on measurements of airborne microorganisms among samples of waste collectors with different working conditions, was constructed for this study and applied to the questionnaire data. By use of this matrix each waste collector was categorized according to exposure levels of three parameters of microorganism exposures (viable fungi, fungal spores, total microorganisms). Adjusted prevalence proportion ratios (PPR) for selected pulmonary symptoms were estimated with generalized linear models. Significantly increased PPRs appeared for cough (PPR = 1.3), itching nose (1.9), wheeze (1.4), and chronic bronchitis (2.3). No significant differences in prevalence appeared between different working conditions among the waste collectors. The PPR of bronchitis increased significantly with increasing estimated concentrations of all selected microbial parameters. In conclusion, this cross-sectional study showed that waste collectors compared to park workers have moderately increased prevalences of several respiratory problems. The causes are probably exposure to vehicle exhaust and aerosols containingmicroorganisms.
ISSN:1232-1966
1898-2263