2019 Volume 48 Issue 2 Pages 83-91
Occupational risk factors are one of the major causes of respiratory symptoms among carpenters. The main aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and compare the lung function values with the control subjects. A total of 80 carpenters and 70 unexposed control subjects were randomly selected and their demographic characteristics, occupational history, respiratory symptoms, and lung function values were recorded. The result showed a significantly lower p-value <0.001 in lung function and respiratory symptoms among carpenters as compared to the control group. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms was nose irritation (86.3%), eye irritation (45.0%), dyspnea (41.3%), phlegm (33.8%), chest tightness (30.0%) and chronic cough (28.8%). This study concludes that the exposure to wood dust in carpentry work adversely influenced the respiratory functions and lung function values of the carpenters.
