TY - JOUR T1 - Effect of respirators equipped with particle or particle-and-gas filters during exposure in a pig confinement building JO - Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health PY - 2006/4VL - 32 IS - 2 SP - 145 EP - 153 AU - Sundblad, Britt-Marie AU - Sahlander, Karin AU - Ek, Alexandra AU - Kumlin, Maria AU - Olsson, Marianne AU - Larsson, Kjell AU - Palmberg, Lena M3 - doi: 10.5271/sjweh.990 UR - https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=990 KW - airway inflammation KW - bronchial responsiveness KW - exposure KW - gas filter KW - gases KW - particle filter KW - pig confinement building KW - respirator N2 - '

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OBJECTIVES ': 'This study compared the protective effect of two respiratory protection devices during exposure in a pig confinement building.

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METHODS ': 'Thirty-six healthy persons were exposed for 3 hours in the building, 12 without any protection, 12 with a particle-filter mask, and 12 with a mask filtering both particles and gases. Symptoms, body temperature, nasal lavage fluid, exhaled nitric oxide, and bronchial responsiveness to methacholine were assessed before and after the exposure. Pre- and postexposure urine and blood samples were collected.

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RESULTS ': 'After the exposure, the participants with respirators reported fewer symptoms than those without. Wearing a mask also reduced the inflammatory response assessed with nasal lavage (cell concentration, interleukins 6 and 8) and peripheral blood (cell number). Lung function was significantly impaired only in the unprotected group; postexposure vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 second showed a decrease of 3–4% from the preexposure levels (P=0.006 and P=0.002, respectively). Bronchial responsiveness (P<0.01) and body temperature (P<0.001) increased similarly in the three groups. Bronchial responsiveness to methacholine increased 2.7, 2.4, and 2.1 doubling concentration steps for those unprotected, those using a particle-filter mask, and those using a mask with particle and gas filters, respectively. The prostaglandin D2 metabolite, 9a, 11b-PGF2 increased significantly (P=0.003) only in those unprotected.

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CONCLUSIONS ': 'Wearing a respirator in a pig confinement building reduces the inflammatory reaction but does not influence the increase in bronchial responsiveness, with no difference between the use of a particle-filter mask or a mask with a particle-gas filter combination.

SN - 0355-3140 ER -