Influence of fine industrial aerosols on the structure of occupational morbidity in foundry production

Introduction. Occupational respiratory diseases remain the leading pathology among workers in foundries, but data on the contribution of specific aerosol fractions to the development of individual nosological forms are limited.

The aim of the study to analyze quantitative indicators, dynamics, and the structure of primary incidence of occupational respiratory diseases among workers in various sections of a foundry plant for the period 2021–2024, with an assessment of the risks associated with the size fractions of aerosol.

Materials and methods. Scientists conducted a retrospective cohort study of 68 cases of newly diagnosed occupational respiratory diseases among 1,446 workers in the iron and non ferrous casting industries. They carried out their own measurements of average daily concentrations and fractional composition of aerosols (chest, respirable, and ultrafine fractions) using individual samplers and a cascade impactor. To assess the relative risk of developing occupational diseases, the authors used single factor Poisson regression models.

Results. In the morbidity structure, diseases of the upper respiratory tract predominated (64.4 per 10 thousand), followed by chronic non obstructive bronchitis (57.8) and COPD (39.1). The average length of service before diagnosis was 15.67±0.5 years. The highest morbidity levels were recorded in the heavy metals workshop and the molding workshop. The ultrafine fraction (≤0.18 μm) statistically significantly increased the risk of bronchial asthma by 78% (RR = 1.78; 95% CI 1.48–2.14), pneumoconiosis by 80% (RR = 1.80; 95% CI 1.50–2.12), and COPD by 18% (RR = 1.18; 95% CI 1.07–1.31). The respiratory and thoracic fractions were more strongly associated with COPD.

Conclusions. The data obtained substantiate the need for a differentiated approach to hygienic regulation and early diagnosis programs, taking into account the fractional composition of dust at specific workplaces.

Ethics. The study was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the Kazan State Medical University, Protocol No. 6 dated June 20, 2023.

Contributions:
Volkova M.A. — data collection and processing, statistical data analysis, text writing, editing;
Prokofieva M.V. — concept and design of research, collection and processing of material;
Giniyatova A.M. — concept and design of research, collection and processing of material;
Fatkhutdinova L.M. — research concept and design, material collection and data processing, text writing.
All co-authors — approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Received: 29.06.2026 / Accepted: 05.08.2026 / Published: 11.09.2026

1. Gorblyanskiy Yu.Yu., Piktushanskaya T.E., Panova M.A., Kuleshova M.V., Babanova N.A. The burden of occupational respiratory diseases. Med. truda i prom. ekol. 2021; 61(4): 243–252. https://doi.org/10.31089/1026-9428-2021-61-4-243-252 (in Russian).

2. Bukhtiyarov I.V., Tikhonova G.I., Betts K.V. Morbidity, disability and mortality in the working-age population of Russia. Med. truda i prom. ekol. 2023; 62(12): 791–796. https://doi.org/10.31089/1026-9428-2022-62-12-791-796 (in Russian).

3. De Matteis S., Heederik D., Burdorf A., Colosio C., Cullinan P., Henneberger P.K., et al. Current and new challenges in occupational lung diseases. Eur. Respir. Rev. 2017; 26(146): 170080. https://doi.org/10.1183/16000617.0080-2017

4. Gosudarstvennyy doklad «O sanitarno-epidemiologicheskom blagopoluchii naseleniya v Rossiyskoy Federatsii». Moscow; 2025. https://clck.ru/3VK5xj (in Russian).

5. Vadulina N.V., Gallyamov M.A., Devyatova S.M. Occupational morbidity in Russia: problems and solutions. Bezopasnost' tekhnogennykh i prirodnykh sistem. 2020; (3): 7–15. https://doi.org/10.23947/2541-9129-2020-3-7-15 (in Russian).

6. Mukhin N.V., Kosarev V.V., Babanov S.A. Occupational diseases – 2nd ed., processed and additional. Moscow: GEOTAR Media, 2021. https://clck.ru/3VYqcg (in Russian).

7. Bukhtiyarov I.V., Kuz'mina L.P., Shpagina L.A., Sinitsyna O.O., Sorokina E.Yu. Occupational pathology: national guidelines. 2nd ed. Moscow: GEOTAR-Media; 2024. https://elibrary.ru/efbnjk (in Russian).

8. Volgareva A.D., Abdrakhmanova E.R., Chudnovets G.M. Prevalence of occupational respiratory diseases from exposure to industrial aerosols. Med. truda i prom. ekol. 2019; 59(9): 591–592. https://doi.org/10.31089/1026-9428-2019-59-9-591-592 https://elibrary.ru/nqsvbb (in Russian).

9. Koskela K., Lehtimäki L., Uitti J., Oksa P., Tikkakoski A., Sauni R. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms and diseases and declined lung function among foundry workers. J. Occup. Med. Toxicol. 2024; 19(1): 41. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12995-024-00440-7

10. Shlyapnikov D.M., Vlasova E.M., Ponomareva T.A. Respiratory diseases in metallurgical workers. Med. truda i prom. ekol. 2012; (12): 28–33. https://elibrary.ru/pkptkp (in Russian).

11. Rakhimzyanov A.R., Yakovleva A.Yu., Giniyatova A.M., Fatkhutdinova L.M., Pankova V.B. Analysis of occupational morbidity at a large machine-building enterprise of the Republic of Tatarstan for 2019–2022. Meditsina truda i ekologiya cheloveka. 2024; 1(37): 64–84. https://doi.org/10.24412/2411-3794-2024-10104 (in Russian).

12. Diagnostic and exposure criteria for occupational diseases – Guidance notes for diagnosis and prevention of the diseases in the ILO List of Occupational Diseases (revised 2010). Geneva: International Labour Organization; 2022. https://clck.ru/3VK6Nn (accessed 19.08.2026).

13. Schulte P.A., Leso V., Niang M., Iavicoli I. Current state of knowledge on the health effects of engineered nanomaterials in workers: a systematic review of human studies and epidemiological investigations. Scand. J. Work Environ. Health. 2019; 45(3): 217–238. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3800

14. Volkova M.A., Timerbulatova G.A., Yapparova L.I., Fatkhutdinova L.M. Characteristics of aerosol load in foundry areas of a machine-building enterprise. Zdorov'e naseleniya i sreda obitaniya. 2025; 33(7): 61–71 (in Russian).

15. Aleshina Yu.A., Novikova T.A. Occupational risk factors for the health of foundry workers at machine-building enterprises (literature review). Gigiena i sanitariya. 2024; 103(5): 462–467. https://doi.org/10.47470/0016-9900-2024-103-5-462-467 https://elibrary.ru/kuorjo (in Russian).

16. Misiukiewicz-Stepien P., Paplinska-Goryca M. Biological effect of PM10 on airway epithelium-focus on obstructive lung diseases. Clin. Immunol. 2021; 227: 108754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clim.2021.108754

17. Ji J., Ganguly K., Mihai X., Sun J., Malmlöf M., Gerde P., et al. Exposure of normal and chronic bronchitis-like mucosa models to aerosolized carbon nanoparticles: comparison of pro-inflammatory oxidative stress and tissue injury/repair responses. Nanotoxicology. 2019; 13(10): 1362–1379. https://doi.org/10.1080/17435390.2019.1655600

18. Lenander-Ramirez A., Bryngelsson I.-L., Vihlborg P., Westberg H., Andersson L. Respirable Dust and Silica: Respiratory Diseases Among Swedish Iron Foundry Workers. J. Occup. Environ. Med. 2022; 64(7): 593–598. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000002533

19. Scotti P.G., Arossa W., Bugiani M., Nicoli E. Chronic bronchitis in the iron and steel industry: prevalence study. Med. Lav. 1989; 80(2): 123–131. https://clck.ru/3VK6Rt

20. Shpagina L.A., Zenkova M.A., Saprykin A.I., Kotova O.S., Gerasimenko O.N., Anokhova L.I., et al. The role of industrial aerosol nanoparticles in the formation of occupational bronchopulmonary pathology. Med. truda i prom. ekol. 2024; 64(2): 111–120. https://doi.org/10.31089/1026-9428-2024-64-2-111-120 (in Russian).

21. Brown D.M., Wilson M.R., MacNee W., Stone V., Donaldson K. Size-dependent proinflammatory effects of ultrafine polystyrene particles: a role for surface area and oxidative stress in the enhanced activity of ultrafines. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. 2001; 175(3): 191–199. https://doi.org/10.1006/taap.2001.9240

22. Donaldson K., Stone V., Gilmour P.S., Brown D.M., MacNee W. Ultrafine particles: mechanisms of lung injury. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 2000; 358(1775): 2741–2749. https://clck.ru/3VK6Wb

23. Grunstein A.M., Shtraichman O., Fireman E. et al. Functional, inflammatory and interstitial impairment due to artificial stone dust ultrafine particles exposure. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2018; 75(11): 804–810. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2019-105711

24. Schraufnagel D.E. The health effects of ultrafine particles. Exp. Mol. Med. 2020; 52(3): 311–317. https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-020-0403-3

25. Kayhan S., Tutar U., Cinarka H., Gumus A., Koksal N. Prevalence of occupational asthma and respiratory symptoms in foundry workers. Pulm. Med. 2013; 2013: 370138. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/370138

26. Cherry N.M., Hoyle J., Burgess G., Dippnall M., Smedley J., Pickering C.A.C., et al. Occupational Asthma in Foundry Workers. Ann. Occup. Hyg. 2002; 46(1): 373–376. https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/46.suppl_1.373