SAN DIEGO, May 22 (UPI) -- Occupational exposure to lung irritants early in a worker's career can result in increased doctor visits for lung problems in later years, finds a U.S. study.
The study of 348 apprentice painters, machinists, electricians and insulators began in 1988 when all the apprentices were in their 20s.
Lead researcher Cheryl Peters, of the Occupational and Environmental Hygiene Department at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, found those workers who developed the worst sensitivity to lung irritants over the first two years of employment were more likely to visit the doctor for both asthma and bronchitis in later years. Machinists were most likely to have the worst cases of new sensitivity to lung irritants.
"We know that exposure to irritants in the workplace can change people's lung function later in life, but we can't predict who will go on to develop lung disease," Peters told the American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Diego.
Peters noted that painters are exposed to chemicals in paint, which are known to cause asthma. Machinists are exposed to chemicals or contaminants in metal-working fluids that could be a risk factor for developing both asthma and bronchitis, she said.
