Pulmonary Health Risks among Northwest Loggers

Spirometry, respiratory symptom questionnaires, and chest radiographs were obtained from 688 loggers in Oregon and Washington. These were compared against previously published National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health studies of nonexposed blue-collar workers to determine if these predictions fit our population. The loggers forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity values were significantly greater than predicted, and their forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity values were less than predicted. The only consistent difference in symptoms between the sample and reference populations was for recent chest illnesses, which were more prevalent in the loggers than in the reference population. The chest radiographs showed a small excess of pleural thickening that we believe is most likely due to chest trauma. We conclude that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health studies spirometry prediction equations may not be generalized to other blue-collar populations.