Tricobalt dicitrate

Epidemiological data

Administrative data

Endpoint:

epidemiological data

Type of information:

migrated information: read-across from supporting substance (structural analogue or surrogate)

Adequacy of study:

supporting study

Reliability:

2 (reliable with restrictions)

Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:

other: Basic data given

Data source

Reference

Reference Type:

publication

Title:

A Cross-Sectional study of Pulmonary Function Among Workers Exposed to Multimetals in the Glass Bangle Industry

Author:

Rastogi, S. K. et al.

Year:

1991

Bibliographic source:

American Journal of Industrial Medicine 20: 391-399

Materials and methods

Study type:

cross sectional study

Endpoint addressed:

respiratory sensitisation

Principles of method if other than guideline:

Spirometric lung functions were evaluated in 220 asymptomatic glass bangle workers exposed to the salts of various heavy metals, such as arsenic, lead, zinc, copper, maganese, cobalt, cadmium, and selenium, which are used as coloring agents in the manufacture of glass bangles.

GLP compliance:

not specified

Test material

Test material information

Constituent 1

Reference substance name:

Automatically generated during migration to IUCLID 6, no data available

IUPAC Name:

Automatically generated during migration to IUCLID 6, no data available

Details on test material:

- Name of test material (as cited in study report): cobalt (salts)
- Analytical purity: no data

Method

Details on study design:

In the present investigation, pulmonary function data of 220 workers asymptomatic glass bangle workers and 88 controls were presented; those glass bangle workers suffering from various respiratory ailments, such as tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis, and bronchial asthma, and those who were not occupationally exposed to multimetals were excluded from this investigation.
The controls, drawn from a nearby area worked in a variety of nondusty jobs. The socioeconomic and ethnic strata of the controls were similar to those of the glass bangle workers. The exposed workers and the controls had no history of cardiorespiratory symptoms and disease.The glass bangle workers had a mean exposure of 12.2 ± 9.4 years. Nearly one half of the glass bangle workers and the controls were smokers.

Exposure assessment:

measured

Statistical methods:

Student´s t-test was used to analyse the significant differences of means of lung function values between the exposed and the control groups. The homogeneity of variance was tested before applying the t-test. The respiratory impairment rates between the exposed and the controls were tested by the chi-square test. A direct method of standardising overall respiratory impairment after adjusting for smoking habits was used accroding to Armitage 1983.

Results and discussion

Results:

The glass bangle workers, irrespective of smoking habit, had significant decrements in peripheral flow rates, despite normal spirometry. This finding suggested that the metallic dusts caused pulmonary reaction initiated in the small airways, which may represent the initial stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease of the peripheral airways. It was also observed that the glass bangle workers exposed for a longer period (>10 years) had a higher prevalence of overall respiratory impairment than did their counterparts exposed for lesser periods (<10 years), even after adjusting for smoking habits. The data indicate that exposure to heavy metals per se was the etiological factor for the pulmonary disturbance among exposed workers.

Confounding factors:

Tobacco smoking played an additive role, since smoking glass bangle workers showed greater reduction in lung function values as compared with those observed in non-smoking workers. Apart from smoking, there are also a number of putative risk factors for the development of peripheral airways obstruction which include occupational and environmental factors, such as exposure to dust and gases and air pollution.

Strengths and weaknesses:

The findings show that these multimetals , even in low concentration, cause respiratory problems. However, it is difficult to say whether respiratory changes are brought about by individual metals or whether the combined effect of exposure to a number of metals and their interaction caused respiratory changes in the exposed glass bangle workers. It is also not known whether this particular combination of metals, as observed in this industry, exerts a synergistic or an antagonistic action.