[Analysis of pulmonary ventilation function and inflammatory indexes in workers exposed to different doses of chromate].

Objective: To investigate the impact of chromate exposure on pulmonary function indices in occupational populations and explore the potential role of alterations in inflammatory indicators in this process. Methods: In July 2024, A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using occupational health examination data of 30875 workers from chromate-related enterprises in Jiangsu Province in 2020 and 2021. Based on the occupational positions and whether there is chromium acid salt exposure in the occupational hazards of the research subjects over the years, they are divided into chromium acid salt exposure group and non-exposure group. For those exposed to chromium acid salts, based on job position descriptions and duration of chromium acid salt exposure, they are further categorized into intermittent exposure group and continuous exposure group; among them, the actual exposure time in the intermittent exposure group is less than half of the working shift time, and the exposure duration is less than the total working life. Pulmonary function test indicators include forced vital capacity (forced vital capacity, FVC) %, first-second forced expiratory volume (forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV(1.0)) %, and the ratio of first-second forced expiratory volume to forced vital capacity (FEV(1.0)/FVC) %. Peripheral blood samples from the upper limbs of the research subjects were collected on an empty stomach for routine blood tests, selecting neutrophil count, platelet count, and lymphocyte count results, calculating the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR). Quantitative data that meet normal distribution are expressed using Mean±SD, while variables that do not meet normal distribution are represented by M (Q(1), Q(3)). Categorical data are expressed using frequency or proportion (%). Linear variable comparisons between groups use t-tests. Generalized linear models were employed to assess the correlation between chromate exposure and pulmonary function indices, while mixed regression models were utilized to explore potential underlying effects. Results: Compared with the non-exposed group, the pulmonary function indices FVC (%), FEV(1.0)/FVC (%), and FEV(1.0) (%) in the chromate-exposed group showed a decreasing trend (P<0.01), indicating statistically significant differences. As the frequency of chromate exposure increased, the prevalence of pulmonary dysfunction rose. The prevalence rates of obstructive, restrictive, and mixed respiratory dysfunction among the chromate-exposed population (including intermittent exposure and continuous exposure groups) were 0.26%, 4.67%, and 0.12%, which were higher than those in the non-exposed group (0.09%, 0.84%, and 0.07%, respectively). All these differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). After stratification by gender, a negative correlation was observed between chromate exposure and the inflammatory indicator platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (P<0.05). Potential effect analysis revealed that PLR played a certain mediating role between chromate exposure and the decline in pulmonary function indices, with a mediating proportion of 2.2%. Conclusion: Chromate exposure in occupational populations may lead to a decline in pulmonary ventilatory function and alterations in peripheral blood inflammatory indicators. Inflammatory indicators may be involved in the pulmonary function decline caused by chromate exposure.