Abstract
To develop a method for the early diagnosis of health damage due to arc welding, we measured serum ferritin in 96 general employees and 320 arc welders in Company A. A positive correlation was observed between age and the serum ferritin level in the young group (age, 20 - 44 years) among the general employees. The mean serum ferritin level in the general employees was 119 ± 56 ng/ml. When the mean ± 2.5 SD was used as the standard value, ferritin levels > 260 ng / ml could be regarded as high. Based on this standard value, high ferritin levels were observed in 7 (6.6%) of 106 young arc welders in Company A but none of the general employees. Chest X-ray films showed minimal abnormality in one of 7 young arc welders who showed high ferritin levels. These results suggest that the determination of the serum ferritin level is useful for the early diagnosis of health damage due to arc welding.
Highlights
Arc welder’s lung is a lung disorder observed in arc welders
Chest X-ray films showed minimal abnormality in one of 7 young arc welders who showed high ferritin levels. These results suggest that the determination of the serum ferritin level is useful for the early diagnosis of health damage due to arc welding
In the young arc welder group 40 years, 7 (6.6%) of 106 welders showed a high serum ferritin level, and the incidence signifycantly differed between this group and the young general employee group ( 2 test, p < 0.05)
Summary
Arc welder’s lung is a lung disorder observed in arc welders. It is considered to be a type of industrial accident in Japan and a disease to which the Pneumoconiosis Law is applied. In Japan, strict measures are taken to prevent the development of arc welder’s lung, and instructions are given by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. We recently encountered a 58-year-old male with arc welder’s lung, which was the motive for performing this study [1]. This man had worked as an arc welder for 40 years since he was 18 years old. Analysis of cell fractions of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid showed 79.6% macrophages, of which about 83% were positive for iron staining. Transbronchial lung biopsy revealed localized intra-alveolar fibrosis and alveoli filled with iron staining-positive macrophages that had phagocyted a dark brown substance suggesting hemosiderin. Blood tests showed an abnormally high serum ferritin level (2300 ng /ml). The serum ferritin level continued to increase for the subsequent few years
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