Associations between occupational exposures and COPD incidence
| Cases in unexposed (%) | Cases in exposed (%) | Relative risk (95% CI) | Population attributable fraction (%) | |
| Biological dust | 55/2264 (2.4) | 41/1079 (3.8) | 1.6 (1.1 to 2.3) | 16.0 |
| Mineral dust | 65/2501 (2.6) | 31/842 (3.7) | 1.1 (0.7 to 1.7) | 3.9 |
| Gases and fumes | 41/1888 (2.2) | 55/1455 (3.8) | 1.5 (1.0 to 2.2) | 19.4 |
| Vapours, gases, dusts and fumes | 40/1725 (2.3) | 56/1618 (3.5) | 1.3 (0.9 to 2.0) | 14.1 |
| Herbicides | 91/3269 (2.8) | 5/74 (6.8) | 2.0 (0.7 to 4.1) | 2.6 |
| Insecticides | 88/3229 (2.7) | 8/114 (7.0) | 2.3 (1.1 to 4.2) | 4.7 |
| Fungicides | 88/3211 (2.7) | 8/132 (6.1) | 1.9 (0.9 to 3.6) | 3.9 |
| All pesticides | 86/3179 (2.7) | 10/164 (6.1) | 2.2 (1.1 to 3.8) | 5.6 |
| Aromatic solvents | 80/2796 (2.9) | 16/547 (2.9) | 0.9 (0.5 to 1.5) | – |
| Chlorinated solvents | 83/2904 (2.9) | 13/439 (3.0) | 0.8 (0.5 to 1.4) | – |
| Other solvents | 71/2391 (3.0) | 25/952 (2.6) | 0.8 (0.5 to 1.3) | – |
| Metals | 82/2922 (2.8) | 14/421 (3.3) | 1.0 (0.5 to 1.6) | – |
Separate models for ever low or ever high exposure to an agent compared with no exposure to that specific agent. n=3343 European Community Respiratory Health Survey participants from 24 study centres without COPD and without asthma at baseline.
Relative risks adjusted for sex, age, pack-years of smoking, FEV1/FVC ratio at baseline (%predicted), socioeconomic status and early life disadvantage score.