Abstract

In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of asbestos body (AB) content in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid on pulmonary function tests (PFT) among workers of a brake lining factory. Out of 288 workers that PFT and DLCO were performed during the investigation in the factory, 34 workers with DLCO <80% were enrolled. All the workers had PFT and DLCO measurements and cellular analysis, also AB and asbestos fibers in BAL fluid were evaluated. Mean age and mean number of years at work among 34 workers were 36.5 years (±6.3) and 8.8 years (±4.9), respectively. Fourteen (41.2%) of them had AB in their BAL fluid, and the mean number of AB per mL was 2.5 (±6.3). PFT and BAL results of the workers with AB positive in BAL were FEV1: 101.6% (±12.6), FVC: 102.2% (±11.2), FEV1/FVC: 100.5% (±8.5), Vmax50: 89.4% (±31.4), Vmax25: 67.8% (±28.3), DLCO: 53.9% (±15), DLCO/VA: 39.9% (±11.5); mean percent of alveolar macrophages in BAL fluid were: 85.8% (±6.7), lymphocytes: 6.3% (±3.9), PNL: 6.9% (±3.6), and eosinophils: 1.5% (±1). PFT and BAL results of the workers with AB negative in BAL were FEV1: 97.4% (±14), FVC: 96.9% (±11.1), FEV1/FVC: 101.3% (±7.9), Vmax50: 82.8% (±21.9), Vmax25: 68% (±26), DLCO: 60.3% (±8), DLCO/VA: 48.5% (±14.4); mean percent of alveolar macrophages in BAL fluid were: 80.3% (±8.6), lymphocytes: 8.7% (±8), PNL: 9% (±5.2), and eosinophils: 1.6% (±1.1). When 14 subjects with asbestos bodies in BAL fluid were compared with 20 subjects without asbestos bodies, no significant difference was found in FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, Vmax50, Vmax25, DLCO, DLCO/VA but the number of asbestos fibers was significantly higher in the group with asbestos bodies in BAL fluid. We concluded that in patients with short exposure duration, the number of asbestos bodies in BAL fluid did not have influence on PFT, but presence of asbestos bodies in BAL fluid could show exposure to asbestos.