Functional and X-ray pulmonary changes in clay aerosol exposure

Radi otkrivanja respiratornih promjena u toku izloženosti aerosolima gline pregledano je 27 radnika zaposlenih u proizvodnji gline, u dva navrata, s razmakom od sedam godina. Analizirana je atmosfera radne okoline mjerenjem ukupnih aerosola i određivanjem njihove »respirabilne« frakcije, mjerene su ventilacijske funkcije i radiografski ispitana pluća izloženih radnika. Srednje godišnje redukcije vrijednosti statičkoga i dinamičkoga testa ventilacijske funkcije u radnika izloženih glini bile su preko tri puta veće od očekivanih prosječnih redukcija normalne populacije. U četiri od sedam radnika s rendgenskim karakteristikama pneumokonioze došlo je u toku sedam godina do pogoršanja rendgenskog nalaza na plućima.To follow respiratory changes in clay exposure 27 workers in clay production were examined twice in an interval of 7 years. The working atmosphere was analysed by measuring total aerosols and determining their »respirable« fractions. The workers\u27 ventilatory function and pulmonary radiography were analysed as well. The annual mean reductions in the static and dynamic tests of the ventilatory function of the exposed workers proved to be more than three times as high as the expected mean reduction in the normal population. In four out of seven workers with X-ray changes characteristic of pneumoconiosis the X-ray findings had deteriorated during the observed interval of 7 years