A Cohort Study on Self-Reported Respiratory Symptoms of Toner-Handling Workers : Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis from 2003 to 2008

This study examines the relationship between toner-handling work and its health effects on self-reported respiratory symptoms. The subjects were 1,504 male workers in a Japanese toner and photocopier manufacturing company. Personal exposure measurement, pulmonary function tests, chest X-ray examinat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BioMed research international 2014-01, Vol.2014 (2014), p.1-10
Main Authors: Kitamura, Hiroko, Terunuma, Niina, Kurosaki, Shizuka, Hata, Koichi, Masuda, Masashi, Kochi, Takeshi, Yanagi, Nobuaki, Murase, Tadashi, Ogami, Akira, Higashi, Toshiaki
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Carbon black
Chemical workers
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dust
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Japan - epidemiology
Male
Middle Aged
Occupational Exposure - adverse effects
Respiratory diseases
Respiratory tract diseases
Respiratory Tract Diseases - epidemiology
Respiratory Tract Diseases - etiology
Respiratory Tract Diseases - pathology
Self Report
Studies
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Summary:This study examines the relationship between toner-handling work and its health effects on self-reported respiratory symptoms. The subjects were 1,504 male workers in a Japanese toner and photocopier manufacturing company. Personal exposure measurement, pulmonary function tests, chest X-ray examination, measurement of biomarkers, and a questionnaire about self-reported respiratory symptoms were performed annually. This study discusses the questionnaire results. We found that the toner-handling group showed significantly higher prevalence of breathlessness than the never-toner-handling group. The significant reduction of pulmonary function and fibrosis change in the chest X-ray examination associated with breathlessness were not observed. However the morbidity of asthma was higher compared to the Japanese population in both of the toner-handling group and the never-toner handling group, the effect of toner exposure was not clarified. Nevertheless, while the toner exposure levels in the current well-controlled working environment may be sufficiently low to prevent adverse health effects, further studies are needed to assess the more long-term latent health effects of toner exposure.
ISSN:2314-6133
2314-6141
DOI:10.1155/2014/826757