Lifetime workplace exposure to pesticides linked to heightened COPD risk

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/940899

 

 News Release 25-Jan-2022
Findings independent of asthma and smoking, large long term study shows
Peer-Reviewed Publication
BMJ

 

Lifetime workplace exposure to pesticides is linked to a heightened risk of COPD, the umbrella term for a group of respiratory diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing problems, finds a large population based study, published online in the journal Thorax.

The findings are independent of key risk factors for COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease): smoking and asthma.

Workplace exposures are important preventable causes of COPD, with recent estimates indicating that around 14% of all such cases are related to work, say the researchers.

-----