Evidence of a relationship between occupational dust exposures and chronic airways disease including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been demonstrated in a number of studies in occupational and community settings. Apart from studies focused on the classical dusty trades, however, very little is known about the possibility of risk from more moderate exposures to a diverse mixture of different types of particulates, Evidence is mounting for mechanisms that might underlie a relatively non-specific toxic effect from particulate exposures. In addition to respiratory tract irritation, high particulate exposures can overload the clearance mechanisms of the lung, producing a cascade of responses that may culminate in chronic lung injury. To contribute to the study of risk associated with exposure to a mixture of particulates, we propose to target a working population of union carpenters. Carpenters have a diversity of aerosol (wood dust being only one) and chemical exposures and excess risk for pulmonary disease. Apart from studies of occupational asthma there have been few investigations of respiratory disease associated with this trade, despite the fact that carpentry is one of the largest specialty trade among construction workers. The proposed study is therefore designed as a pilot investigation of the risk among carpenters of chronic airway obstruction other than asthma. The specific objectives of this pilot study are to develop and evaluate methods to: 1) identify incident cases of COPD in the Carpenters Combined Benefits Fund of Massachusetts medical insurance records data base; and 2) assess a diverse range of different aerosol and gas exposures occurring in carpenters' jobs. The outcome of the pilot study will be methods that can be applied in a subsequent case control investigation designed to provide quantitative data on the associations between COPD and different aerosol exposures experienced by carpenters. The case control study will be the subject of a separate proposal, contingent upon successful development of the necessary methods.
