Table 1 Individual characteristics and working experience of the studied population
| Â | Non smokers n = 19 | Ex-smokers n = 6 | Current smokers n = 14 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Males (n, %) | 7 | 36,8 | 6 | 100 | 11 | 78,6 |
Age, years; mean+SD | 46,6 | 4 | 46 | 4,5 | 45,6 | 4,6 |
Years of employment; mean ± SD | 24,1 | 4,2 | 22,8 | 3,3 | 23,4 | 4,5 |
Respiratory PPE use (n, %) | 3 | 15,8 | 0 | 3 | 21,4 | |
Spirometry | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
   FVC; mean+SD | 86,4 | 7,1 | 84 | 3,4 | 80,4 | 11,3 |
< 80% of pred. FVC (n, %) | 1 | 5,3 | 0 | 4 | 28,6 | |
   FEV1; mean+SD | 87,8 | 10,3 | 87,9 | 4,9 | 82 | 11,5 |
< 80% of pred. FEV1 (n, %) | 1 | 5,3 | 0 | 4 | 28,6 | |
FEV1/FVC, < 70% (n, %) | 1 | 5,3 | 0 | 0 | ||
Asbestos bodies | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
   in BALF | 9 | 47,4 | 2 | 33,3 | 3 | 21,4 |
   in IS | 6 | 31,6 | 0 | 2 | 14,3 | |