Non-Malignant Respiratory Illnesses in Association with Occupational Exposure to Asbestos and Other Insulating Materials: Findings from the Alberta Insulator Cohort

Many insulating materials are used in construction, although few have been reported to cause non-malignant respiratory illnesses. We aimed to investigate associations between exposures to insulating materials and non-malignant respiratory illnesses in insulators. In this cross-sectional study, 990 i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 17; no. 19; p. 7085
Main Authors:	Moitra, Subhabrata, Farshchi Tabrizi, Ali, Idrissi Machichi, Kawtar, Kamravaei, Samineh, Miandashti, Noushin, Henderson, Linda, Mukherjee, Manali, Khadour, Fadi, Naseem, Muhammad T, Lacy, Paige, Melenka, Lyle
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Switzerland MDPI AG 28-09-2020 MDPI
Subjects:	Age Airway management Alberta - epidemiology Asbestos Asbestos - analysis Asbestos - toxicity Asbestosis - epidemiology Asthma Calcium silicates Carbon fibers Ceramic fibers Chest Child Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Confidence intervals Cross-Sectional Studies Demography Exposure Family medical history Fiberglass Fibers Humans Illnesses Infections Insulation Insulators Longitudinal studies Lung diseases Lungs Male Medical research Mineral fibers Mineral Fibers - analysis Obstructive lung disease Occupational Diseases - epidemiology Occupational Diseases - etiology Occupational exposure Occupational Exposure - adverse effects Occupational Exposure - statistics & numerical data Occupational health Pulmonary functions Questionnaires Radiography Respiratory diseases Respiratory function Spirometry Statistical analysis Alberta Canada United States > US pulmonary function tests inhaled particles insulation materials asbestos occupational health
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Summary:	Many insulating materials are used in construction, although few have been reported to cause non-malignant respiratory illnesses. We aimed to investigate associations between exposures to insulating materials and non-malignant respiratory illnesses in insulators. In this cross-sectional study, 990 insulators (45 ± 14 years) were screened from 2011-2017 in Alberta. All participants underwent pulmonary function tests and chest radiography. Demographics, work history, and history of chest infections were obtained through questionnaires. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was diagnosed according to established guidelines. Associations between exposures and respiratory illnesses were assessed by modified Poisson regression. Of those screened, 875 (88%) were males. 457 (46%) participants reported having ≥ 1 chest infection in the past 3 years, while 156 (16%) were diagnosed with COPD. In multivariate models, all materials (asbestos, calcium silicate, carbon fibers, fiberglass, and refractory ceramic fibers) except aerogels and mineral fibers were associated with recurrent chest infections (prevalence ratio [PR] range: 1.18-1.42). Only asbestos was associated with COPD (PR: 1.44; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01, 2.05). Therefore, occupational exposure to insulating materials was associated with non-malignant respiratory illnesses, specifically, recurrent chest infections and COPD. Longitudinal studies are urgently needed to assess the risk of exposure to these newly implemented insulation materials.
Bibliography:	These authors contributed equally to this work.
ISSN:	1660-4601 1661-7827 1660-4601
DOI:	10.3390/ijerph17197085