Operating theatre chemicals ‘may increase COPD risk’
A study of female nurses flags toxicity with long-term exposure
Female nurses working in operating theatres for 15 years or longer may have an increased risk of developing COPD, a study suggests.
Health workers in theatre may regularly inhale several different potentially toxic chemicals, including from surgical smoke and disinfectants, researchers note in JAMA Network Open.
Dr Andrew Stokes, of Boston University school of public health, US, and colleagues, have evaluated the incidence of self-reported, physician-diagnosed COPD in female nurses enrolled in the US Nurses’ Health Study.
They examined the incidence of COPD in more than 75,000 nurses (mean age 51) who answered questionnaires regarding history of working in theatre in 1984 and job type in 1982.
