Vasconcelos de Moraes M, Padula RS, Bernardes RAB, Negreiros A, Chiavegato LD. Effect of time of exposure to environmental risk on the lung function of foundry workers: a cross-sectional study.
J Phys Ther Sci 2016;
28:506-10. [PMID:
27064981 PMCID:
PMC4793000 DOI:
10.1589/jpts.28.506]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Accepted: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
[Purpose] This cross-sectional study aimed to compare foundry workers of the metallurgical industry with high and low exposure time and with a control group. [Subject and Methods] The workers were evaluated for pulmonary function and peak expiratory flow (PEF), respiratory symptoms, smoking habits, and physical activity level. Descriptive statistical analysis and ANOVA one-way test were used. [Results] The mean age was 33.9 ± 8.25 years (18-59), pulmonary function: FVC: 95 ± 18% of predicted, FEV1: 95.0 ± 15.8% of predicted, FEV1/FVC ratio of 0.82 ± 0.09, and PEF = 499.7 ± 118.5 l/min. Overall, 85.1% of workers were classified that physically active, 7.93% of workers reported respiratory symptoms, and 14.28% reported being smokers. There was no statistically significant difference between groups for the variables of lung function. [Conclusion] The pulmonary function is preserved in foundry workers independently of exposure time.
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