• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.29 no.2 s.53
• /
• pp.187-198
• /
• 1996

The industrial use of MMMF(man-made mineral fibers), has been increasing, particularly since the banning of most asbestos products. Fibrous minerals can cause health abnormalities currently associated with occupational exposure to glass fiber. This study was conducted to evaluate health risks of glass fiber manufactory workers within the country. We examined questionaries, physical examination including auscultation, chest x-ray, pulmonary function test for 488 male workers, to go through their dermal itching symptoms and respiratory evaluation. we had the results as follows. 1. In 45% of the workers itching had been expressed at their entrance. At that time we was investigating, 18.5% had itching, and most of them complained it when they fall asleep and night. The Sequent itching site is waist and groin, upper and lower extremity in order, and it had been expressed mainly during summer and winter. 2. As the results of ventilatory functions test, 6.0% were obstructive type, 1.0% were restrictive type. So, glass fiber exposures should be controlled or elimination by protective devices in the workplace. 3. The means of FVC, $FEV_1,\;FEV_1%$ were in normal range. As the comparison of ventilatory functions by age groups, MMF was decreased significantly for the group, 50 years old and more than other groups. And the comparison by the serving periods at glass fiber producing factory, MMF was decreased for the workers had worked for $11\sim15$ years. Therefore, MMF be more sensitive index in the evaluation of ventilatory impairments caused by glass fiber workers.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.46 no.2
• /
• pp.165-174
• /
• 1999

Background: Coal-worker's pneumoconiosis(CWP) is radiologically divided into two major groups: simple pneumoconiosis (SP), in which small, rounded or irregular opacities smaller than 1cm are observed, and progressive massive fibrosis(PMF), which is characterized by opacities larger than 1cm. SP has a life expectancy equivalent to miners with no radiographic evidence of CWP, but PMF is associated with more obvious impairments of ventilatory capacity and premature death. But only minority of workers develop PMF when exposed to dust concentrations similar to those experienced by workers who develop only SP. In this study, immune status in patients with CWP were evaluated by measurement of the serum immunoglobulin levels between control, SP and PMF groups. Method: Coal workers selected for this study were emplyees of the Tae-Baek and Dong-Hae Hospital. All the patients were men of 45-76 years old and the mean duration of exposure to coal dust were 23.2 years. By X-ray examination, 51 patients were classified in SP, 59 in PMF category. The normal controls examined were 58 men of 26-70 years old. Serum Ig levels were estimated by using Nephelometer(Behring Nephelometer : Germany) and serum were collected 51 in SP, 49 in PMF and 57 cases in control group. Results: The levels of IgG were increased but the levels of IgM were decreased with increasing age in control groups. There were no statistical difference of immunoglobulin levels between smokers and nonsmokers in control groups. There were no statistical difference of immunoglobulin levels between Control, SP and PMF groups. Multiple regression analysis were undertaken to determine the statistical significance of the apparent trends and estimate the effects associated with age, smoking habit and radiological category of CWP. According to this analysis, the levels of IgG were decreased significantly in SP group and had decreasing tendancy, but not statistically significant in PMF group. Conclusion : From the observations described, CWP patients had decreased IgG concentration compared to control gorup. Therefore, there was some relation between CWP and immunoglobulin concentration.