Objective The aims of the research are : a) to identify and describe the patterns of symptoms and signs of respiratory and cardiovascular disease which may be found among process workers in iron and steel making ; b) to relate any such patterns to known differences in current and previous occupations in the steel industry, taking account of other risk factors such as smoking ; c) as a result, to quantify the extent of any risks to respiratory or cardiovascular health associated with work in these sectors of the industry.The study will focus on approximately 4 000 process workers in iron and steel making and will be based on British Steel's major integrated steelworks with sinter plants, blast furnaces and Basic Oxygen Steelmaking ; two further plants will be included, one using the arc furnace process, the other producing stainless steel. The sample will be stratified by occupation and possibly by age. Works medical and nursing staff at earch of the chosen sites will carry out structured interviews and medical examinations on the participants. All the data from the examination will be entered directly into a central computer database by the staff administering the examination. Statistical analysis will be performed on the computer system, using database management packages. METHODS AND MEANS BY WHICH THE AIMS ARE TO BE ACHIEVEDTwo questionnaires based on internationally standardised originals will be employed, one addressing respiratory health and the other cardiovascular health. The measurements to be taken will include : blood pressure, urine analysis, glycemia, cholesteremia, lipoproteinemia and simple spirometry. Electrocardiographs may be carried out on a selected group of workers. In addition, personal and medical records, in particular absence and sickness records by frequency, duration and cause, will be considered. The data will be entered in the computer terminal in each plant as it is collected, with the exception of the blood analysis results which will be input when they have become available. Programme(s) ECSC-MEDRES 5C - Fifth medical research programme (ECSC) "Protection of workers against risks arising from work in the coal and steel industries", 1988-1992 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Institute of Occupational Medicine EU contribution No data Address 8 Roxburgh Place EH8 9SU Edinburgh United Kingdom See on map Total cost No data
