Washington — Construction workers are 30% more likely than workers in other industries to die from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, results of a recent study show.
COPD is a progressive and incurable lung disease that results in swelling inside the airways, limiting airflow into and out of the lungs. Symptoms include coughing and mucus production, breathing difficulties, wheezing, and chest tightness. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are examples of COPD, which can be deadly.
Researchers from NIOSH analyzed 2021-2022 data from the National Vital Statistics System to look for links between working in construction and COPD deaths.
Nearly 58,000 construction workers had COPD listed as the underlying or contributing cause of death. The risk was twofold for specific trades such as roofers, drywallers, tile installers, painters, paper hangers, pipelayers, stucco masons and insulators.
Smoking is a major cause of COPD, yet an estimated 25%-45% of people with COPD never smoked. Because of that, the researchers said prevention efforts need to go beyond smoking cessation and focus on exposure to airborne respiratory hazards such as vapors, gases, dust and fumes. For construction workers, that includes silica, asbestos, welding and asphalt fumes, diesel engine exhaust, wood dust and secondhand smoke.
Guiding interventions and policies to improve worker health and prevent COPD in the construction industry requires continued surveillance, the researchers said, along with collection of detailed industry and occupational history.
The study was published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
