Construction workers in Alberta who work with hazardous insulation materials are much more likely to be affected by repeated chest infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to new research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
The study followed 990 insulators over six years. Participants underwent regular pulmonary function tests and chest radiography throughout the study. Researchers found 46 per cent of the workers had one or more chest infections over a three-year time span and 16 per cent of insulators who were exposed to asbestos were diagnosed with COPD—a disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs.
“In the past, physicians have tried to advocate for compensation benefits to insulators who were declined because of a background of cigarette smoking,” said Paige Lacy, professor of medicine at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and director of research at the Alberta Respiratory Centre. “This study shows that incidence of COPD and recurrent chest infections is independent of cigarette smoking and demonstrates that hazardous materials really are having an effect on the health of insulators.”
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