Biological effect of ambiental exposure to cement dust

Provedeno je ispitivanje o utjecaju ambijentalne izloženosti cementnoj prašini. Uspoređivane su vrijednosti forsiranih ekspiratornih volumena kao i incidencija respiratornih bolesti u djece iz četiri škole različito udaljene od izvora onečišćenja. Na području škole najbliže tvornicama cementa onečišćenje zraka taložnom prašinom bilo je 3,5 puta a lebdećom prašinom 2,5 puta veće od dopuštenog. Druge dvije škole nalazile su se u području gdje je onečišćenje taložnom i lebdećom prašinom bilo za 50-100% niže, dok se četvrta škola nalazila na otoku u ambijentu koji se može smatrati čistim. Rezultati ispitivanja upućuju na to da djeca koja žive u području onečišćenom cementnom prašinom imaju nešto niže vrijednosti FVK% i FEV1% u usporedbi s djecom iz čistog područja. Incidencija bolesti gornjih dijelova respiratornih organa bila je također u određenoj ovisnosti o razini onečišćenja. Istraživanje nije obuhvatilo usporedbu socio-ekonomskog položaja djece, odnosno njihovih obitelji što može biti od potencijalnog značenja pri interpretaciji nekih od uočenih razlika između promatranih skupina.The biological effect of ambiental exposure to cement dust was studied in school children attending schools at four different locations from the source of pollution. Forced expiratory volumes and the incidence of respiratory diseases were determined and compared. Around the school which was closest to a cement factory the air pollution with sedimentary dust was 3.5 times and with airborne dust 2.5 times higher than permitted. Two schools were located in an area where pollution with sedimentary and airborne dust was 50-100% lower and the fourth was situated on an island in the surroundings which may be regarded as clean. The children living in areas polluted with cement dust had slightly lower FEV% and FEV1% values than the children from the clean area. The rate of respiratory diseases also showed a certain dependence on the pollution level. The study did not include comparison of the socio-economic status of the children and their families which may have influenced the interpretation of some of the differences observed between the studied groups