Pulmonary function test results of participants overall and by exposure categories
| All participants | Time spent daily in production areas | Facility tenure | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <1 h | ≥1 h | <7 years | ≥7 years | ||
| Spirometry, N | 357 | 220 | 137 | 184 | 173 |
| Obstruction, n (%) | 13 (4) | 5 (2) | 8 (6) | 6 (3) | 7 (4) |
| Restrictive pattern, n (%) | 15 (4) | 7 (3) | 8 (6) | 5 (3) | 10 (6) |
| Mixed pattern, n (%) | 2 (1) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 2 (1) |
| Any abnormality, n (%)* | 30 (8) | 12 (5) | 18 (13) | 11 (6) | 19 (11) |
| FEV1% predicted, mean | 99.5 | 101.3 | 96.6 | 101.5 | 97.4 |
| FVC % predicted, mean | 101.2 | 102.6 | 98.9 | 102.5 | 99.8 |
| FEV1/FVC %, mean | 78.9 | 79.5 | 77.9 | 80.3 | 77.3 |
| Diffusing capacity, N | 325 | 201 | 124 | 170 | 155 |
| Low diffusing capacity, n (%) | 15 (5) | 5 (2) | 10 (8) | 5 (3) | 10 (6) |
| Low total lung capacity, n (%) | 24 (7) | 13 (6) | 11 (9) | 12 (7) | 12 (8) |
| Diffusing capacity % predicted, mean | 95.1 | 94.9 | 95.5 | 97.0 | 93.0 |
| Total lung capacity % predicted, mean | 92.0 | 92.2 | 91.8 | 93.5 | 90.5 |
Statistically significant differences (p≤0.05) are in bold.
*Defined as obstruction, restrictive pattern or mixed pattern.
FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC, forced vital capacity.