Occupational Quartz Exposure in a Population of Male Individuals-Association With Risk of Developing Atrial Fibrillation

Objective Occupational quartz exposure is a health risk, with increased risk of developing lung, autoimmune diseases, and elevated mortality in cardiovascular diseases. Methods The population was obtained from the period 2005 to 2016 and consisted of 5237 cases of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Quartz exposure information was obtained through a Swedish job exposure matrix. Results The risk of developing AF was increased for the quartz-exposed male population who were within a year of having commenced employment OR 1.54; (95% CI 1.06-2.24); this increased in the age group 20 to 55 (OR 2.05; CI 95% 1.02-4.10). Conclusion Our main conclusion is that quartz dust exposure may be related to increased risk of AF in high exposed (above 0.05 mg/m mean quartz dust) in men aged 20 to 55 years.