Signs of asbestosis and impaired pulmonary function in women who worked in shipyards

Fifteen of 71 women (21.1%) who had worked in shipyards before May, 1961 had radiographic signs of asbestos disease. There were irregular opacities in the lung parenchyma in seven and pleural disease in eight, two of whom had pleural calcifications. The 71 women who volunteered to be studied had a mean age of 61.5 years. Chronic bronchitis was diagnosed in 21%, 71% had dyspnea on climbing two flights of stairs, and 42% had wheezing. These prevalences were 50% higher than in wives of shipyard workers. In 50 white women, mean values for expiratory flow rates, log (FEF25-75) and log (FEF75-85), were decreased for non-, ex- and current smokers as compared to normal nonsmokers. Ex-smokers and current smokers showed the greater effects. Diffusing capacity (DLCOsb) and alveolar volume (ALV) were also reduced in all three smoking categories. Comparison to a reference population without asbestos exposure showed that for current, ex- and nonsmoking subgroups, there were significant reductions in log (FEF25-75), DLCOsb, and ALV for nonsmokers, reductions in FEV1, log (FEV25-75), and log (FEF75-85) in ex-smokers, and reduced ALV in current smokers. These decreases may reflect a locality effect. Further studies are recommended.