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Med. Pr. 2003;54(1):45-50

RELATIVE RISK OF PNEUMOCONIOSIS IN WELDERS OF METALLURGIC PLANT

RYZYKO WZGLĘDNE PYLICY PŁUC POPULACJI SPAWACZY Z ZAKŁADU METALOWEGO

Andrzej Rabenda

Abstract

The values of pneumoconiosis risk in welders calculated against the dust doses that induce this pathology do not show linear relationship.
In the group of electrical welders, relative risk (RR) was found statistically significant at the doses of 251ś500 g; 1001ś1500 g and 5501ś6000 g. In the group of semi-automatic welders, similar results were observed. Odd ratio, calculated at workposts of semi-automatic welding with CO₂ shield, showed that, depending on the size of a daily dose of dust, statistically significant RR was found at the doses of 1.6ś2.0; 2.1ś2.5; and 2.6ś3.0 mg/kg/day. In the group of electric welders, statistically significant RR was observed at the doses of 2.1ś2.5;6. 1ś6.5; and 9.1ś9.5 mg/kg/day. This may suggest thatwelding dust at workposts of semi-automatic welding is more aggressive. The division of welders by their dates of birth showed that in the group of welders born by 1945, the mean age at which they developed pneumoconiosis was almost 50 ą 0.4 years, and the mean duration of occupational exposure was 25

Key words

relative risk, pneumoconiosis, welders, total dust dose, average daily exposure, duration of occupational exposure