Functional Tests In Thirty-Nine Asbestos Spray Workers

Our plain-English summary of Functional Tests In Thirty-Nine Asbestos Spray Workers, by A. Harf, C. Bertrand, A. Hirsch, et al (1980).

The study

• Authors: A. Harf, C. Bertrand, A. Hirsch, L. Di Menza, J. Bignon
• Published: Biological Effects Of Mineral Fibres (J.C. Wagner, Editor), Lyon: Iarc Scientific Publications, Volume 30, Pp. 517-522 (1980)
• Type of article: Conference paper
• Our copy: from Johns-Manville's own medical library, J-M no. 002176. The article is still under copyright, so we describe it here rather than post it.

In plain English

The authors measured lung function in 39 male asbestos spray workers whose exposure had lasted from a few months to 20 years. Asbestos was replaced by fibre glass in 1976, but removal of the asbestos had not been completely effective. Length of exposure came from an interviewer-given questionnaire. For 21 workers, ferruginous bodies were counted in one sputum sample or in lung washing fluid. Total lung capacity measured by spirometry averaged 93, 89, 85 and 64% of normal in workers exposed 0-4, 5-9, 10-14 and more than 15 years. The authors reported that lung volume fell about 10% between 0-5 and 10-15 years of exposure. It fell about 15% between workers with no ferruginous bodies and those with more than 50. A restrictive pattern with reduced carbon monoxide diffusion was seen in workers exposed more than five years and in those with 1-50 bodies. No airway obstruction was found, even in heavy smokers. The authors concluded that five years' exposure was enough to alter lung function and that plethysmography appears suitable for following asbestos workers.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Lung function study of one group of workers, tested at a single point in time; the authors suggest a later longitudinal follow-up
• Who was studied: 39 male asbestos spray workers, average age 36 (range 20-59). 10 were nonsmokers, 19 had smoked less than 20 pack-years and 10 more than 20 pack-years. Exposure lasted from a few months to 20 years. The authors worked in Créteil, France; the workers' location is not stated.
• Exposure: Spraying of asbestos (fiber type not named) up to 1976, then fibre glass, with incomplete removal of the asbestos. Exposure was measured as length of exposure from a standardized questionnaire and, for 21 workers, as ferruginous body counts in broncho-alveolar fluid (divided by 30) or one sputum sample.
• Main results:
  • Total lung capacity by spirometry was 93, 89, 85 and 64% of normal in the 0-4 (n=15), 5-9 (n=15), 10-14 (n=6) and more-than-15-year (n=3) exposure groups.
  • Vital capacity was 92, 87, 79 and 62% of normal across the same four exposure-length groups.
  • Lung volume decreased by about 10% between 0-5 and 10-15 years of exposure, and by about 15% between workers with no ferruginous bodies and those with more than 50 (21 workers with counts).
  • Restrictive impairment, with reduced carbon monoxide diffusion and a wider alveolar-arterial oxygen difference on exercise, was seen in the group with 1-50 ferruginous bodies and in workers exposed more than five years.
  • Carbon monoxide diffusing capacity was 103% of normal in the 0-4-year group and 91% in the 5-9-year group.
  • No airway obstruction was seen, even in heavy smokers. The mean normalized FEV1-to-VC ratio was 99% (printed as '99 + 3%') in the seven subjects who had smoked more than 30 pack-years.
  • Lung volumes measured by plethysmography were equivalent to those measured by conventional dilution techniques.
  • The authors noted that five years of exposure was enough to alter lung function.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that plethysmography appears to be a suitable technique for the follow-up of asbestos workers. They also said it would be useful to follow these workers over time.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Ferruginous body, Sputum, Total Lung Capacity (TLC), Spirometry.

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