system
Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: BACKGROUND, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Adult, Air Pollutants, Occupational, Aluminum, Female, Forced Expiratory Volume, Humans, Lung, Lung Diseases, Male, Metallurgy, Middle Aged, Norway, Occupational Diseases, Occupational Exposure, Prospective Studies, Spirometry, Vital Capacity.
user
Is annual decline in forced expiratory volume steeper in aluminum potroom workers than in workers without exposure to potroom fumes? Context: Aluminum potroom exposure is associated with increased mortality of COPD but the association between potroom exposure and annual decline in lung function is unknown. We have measured lung volumes annually using spirometry from 1986 to 1996. The objective was to compare annual decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (dFEV1) and forced vital capacity (dFVC). The number of aluminum potroom workers was 4,546 (81% males) and the number of workers in the reference group was 651 (76% males). The number of spirometries in the index group and the references were 24,060 and 2,243, respectively. After adjustment for confounders, the difference in dFEV1 and dFVC between the index and reference groups were 13.5 (P < 0.001) and -8.0 (P = 0.060) ml/year.
assistant
Aluminum potroom operators have increased annual decline in FEV1 relative to a comparable group with non-exposure to potroom fumes and gases. Final Decision: yes