Association between CO in Blood and Lung Physique of Toll Road Officers

Introduction: Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless and colorless gas produced by incomplete combustion of carbons, its characteristic is easily bonded to hemoglobin rather than oxygen. Short-term immediate visible effect on respiratory tract after inhalation of toxic gas exposure is an inflammatory reaction, whereas restriction and obstruction abnormalities will appear as long-term effects of toxic gas exposure. Therefore, it is necessary to check lung physique to detect pulmonary abnormalities early before clinical complaints found. Objective: To analyze the association between CO in blood and lung physique of toll road officers. Method: The samples were male and female, aged 37 - 55 years and had a minimum of 20 years working hours. Samples were collected by random sampling and statistically analyzed using SPSS (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL). Result: The level of CO in blood of toll road officers are higher than CO levels in the air. It was obtained restriction and obstruction abnormalities. There was no significant association between blood levels of CO and FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and PEFR but there was a significant relationship between blood CO concentration and FVC. Conclusion The exposure of CO to toll road officers caused decreased ventricular lung function. There were obstructive and restrictive abnormalities of the lung. The level of CO in the blood did not correlate with most of pulmonary physiological parameters.