PREVALENCE OF RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS AND PULMONARY FUNCTION OF RUBBER INDUSTRY WORKERS

Abstract

The work environment of rubber factories is contaminated with hazardous substances and workers may be exposing to these hazards during rubber manufacturing. The study aimed to evaluate pulmonary function status of rubber industry workers in West Bengal, India. This study was carried out on 252 participants. Among them, 150 were rubber industry workers and 102 were office workers (control). Pulmonary function parameters of the participants were determined by a portable spirometer. Respiratory symptoms such as cough, phlegm, dyspnea, wheezing and chest pain were studied. The lung function parameters of the rubber industry workers were significantly lower than those of the control subjects. The most prevalent symptom among the workers was phlegm which followed by dyspnea, productive cough, chronic cough, wheezes and chest pain. The lung function parameters of the workers were found to be related to the duration of exposure and smoking habits. The likelihood of having different respiratory symptoms was significantly higher among the rubber industry workers compared to the controls. It may be concluded that the respiratory efficiency of rubber industry workers was decreased and the occurrence of respiratory symptoms was higher than that of non-exposed healthy persons, which may be due to exposure to hazardous substances during rubber manufacturing.