Characteristics of the study population
| Controls | Partly exposed | Exposed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001 (compared with controls). | |||
| n | 507 | 332 | 1394 |
| Smokers (%) | 17 | 15 | 16 |
| Ex-smokers (%) | 43 | 43 | 42 |
| Never-smokers (%) | 40 | 42 | 42 |
| Using alcohol almost every day/several times per week (%) | 11 | 9 | 13 |
| Male (%) | 92 | 96* | 95* |
| Age (year) | 49 | 49 | 48 |
| Physician diagnosed | |||
| Asthma (%) | 6 | 9 | 5 |
| Allergy (%) | 16 | 13 | 15 |
| Eczema (%) | 13 | 10 | 12 |
| Working shift (%) | 7 | 4* | 16*** |
| Working full time (%) | 99 | 100 | 99 |
| Working indoors (hours/day) | 4.4 | 4.1 | 5.4*** |
| Working outdoors (hours/day) | 5.0 | 5.4* | 3.2*** |
| Eating, drinking during work shift (%) | 47 | 51 | 30*** |
| Washing hands before meals during work shift (%) | 98 | 99 | 100** |
| Having a shower after work (%) | 63 | 67 | 90*** |
| Changing clothes after work (%) | 72 | 81** | 92*** |
| Cleaning duties at the work place (%) | 29 | 47*** | 72*** |
| Chemical use at the work place (%) | 65 | 66 | 80*** |
| Using protective equipment (%) | 63 | 86*** | 90*** |
| Dust exposure (days/month) | 3.2 | 5.4** | 6.3*** |
| Monotonous work (%) | 13.7 | 9.8 | 7.9*** |