제 목 : Cold air causes inflammation of respiratory passae
일 자 : 1998년 01월
제공처 : Working Lif R ＆ D News
Cold air causes inflammation of respiratory passages
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A study conducted at the National Institute for Working Life shows that when
healthy individuals breathe cold air, respiratory passages become inflamed.
Test personnel themselves did not notice any symptoms, but in respiratory
passages a dramatic increase in the number of inflamed cells was observed.
This probably explains why people who work in the cold are more susceptible
to asthma than others.
Eight people took part in the study, which involved two hours of light work
at room temperature and then at minus 23 degrees. Salt-solution was then
passed through the air passages and analysed. All test personnel were shown
to have inflammations.
"We have shown earlier that cross-country skiers are more likely to get
asthma. The most probable explanation is that they breathe a great deal of
cold air," says Kjell Larsson, Associate Professor at the National Institute
of Working Life.
These new observations may also explain why there are more cases of asthma
in northern Sweden than in the southern regions of the country.
In Sweden, up to 300,000 people regularly work in the cold, i.e., where the
temperature is below +10 degrees. But the risk of getting asthma from cold air
probably increases most when it is very cold and when one is breathing heavily,
for example during hard physical work.
Janet Suslick
For more information contact
Kjell Larsson
Tel: +46 8 730 91 74
Mobile: 070 - 582 07 63
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