Respiratory health and fluoride exposure in different parts of the modern primary aluminum industry

Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate possibl e acute and long-term respiratory health effects of work at different worki ng places in the primary aluminum industry, Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 78 potroom workers, 24 foundry workers, and 45 carbon-p lant workers (n = 147, exposed group), and 56 control workers (watchmen, cr aftsmen. office workers, laboratory employees) of a modern German prebake a luminum plant. The survey consisted of pre- and postshift spirometric and u rinary fluoride measurements. Results: Potroom workers had significantly lo wer preshift results with regard to forced vital capacity (FVC, 99.5% versu s the 107.2% predicted; P < 0.05) and peak expiratory flow (PEF, 85.2% vers us the 98.4% predicted; P < 0.01) as compared with controls. In a multiple regression model a small but significant negative correlation was found bet ween postshift urinary fluoride concentrations and FVC, FEV1, and PEF. Acro ss-shift spirometric changes were observed only in FVC among carbon-plant w orkers (103.0 +/- 13.3% predicted preshift value versus 101.2 +/- 13.6% pre dicted postshift value; P < 0.05). Conclusions: The results suggest that lu ng function impairment in the modern primary aluminum industry may be only partly due to fluoride exposure and that working in aluminum carbon plants may cause acute lung function changes.