Influence of fine industrial aerosols on the structure of occupational morbidity in foundry production

Introduction. Occupational respiratory diseases remain the leading pathology among workers in foundries, but data on the contribution of specific aerosol fractions to the development of individual nosological forms are limited.The aim of the study to analyze quantitative indicators, dynamics, and the structure of primary incidence of occupational respiratory diseases among workers in various sections of a foundry plant for the period 2021–2024, with an assessment of the risks associated with the size fractions of aerosol.Materials and methods. Scientists conducted a retrospective cohort study of 68 cases of newly diagnosed occupational respiratory diseases among 1,446 workers in the iron and non ferrous casting industries. They carried out their own measurements of average daily concentrations and fractional composition of aerosols (chest, respirable, and ultrafine fractions) using individual samplers and a cascade impactor. To assess the relative risk of developing occupational diseases, the authors used single factor Poisson regression models.Results. In the morbidity structure, diseases of the upper respiratory tract predominated (64.4 per 10 thousand), followed by chronic non obstructive bronchitis (57.8) and COPD (39.1). The average length of service before diagnosis was 15.67±0.5 years. The highest morbidity levels were recorded in the heavy metals workshop and the molding workshop. The ultrafine fraction (≤0.18 μm) statistically significantly increased the risk of bronchial asthma by 78% (RR = 1.78; 95% CI 1.48–2.14), pneumoconiosis by 80% (RR = 1.80; 95% CI 1.50–2.12), and COPD by 18% (RR = 1.18; 95% CI 1.07–1.31). The respiratory and thoracic fractions were more strongly associated with COPD.Conclusions. The data obtained substantiate the need for a differentiated approach to hygienic regulation and early diagnosis programs, taking into account the fractional composition of dust at specific workplaces.Ethics. The study was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the Kazan State Medical University, Protocol No. 6 dated June 20, 2023.Contributions:Volkova M.A. — data collection and processing, statistical data analysis, text writing, editing;Prokofieva M.V. — concept and design of research, collection and processing of material;Giniyatova A.M. — concept and design of research, collection and processing of material;Fatkhutdinova L.M. — research concept and design, material collection and data processing, text writing.All co-authors — approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article.Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.Received: 29.06.2026 / Accepted: 05.08.2026 / Published: 11.09.2026