Prevalence of Respiratory Symptoms among Workers in Industries of South Tehran, Iran

Ghasemkhani, M; Kumashiro, Masaharu; Rezaei, Mansour; Anvari, Ali Reza; Mazloumi, Adel; Sadeghipour, Hamid Reza

doi:10.2486/indhealth.44.218

Cited by 29 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Prevalence of respiratory symptoms was significantly higher in exposed group ( Table 2) which is consistent with the results of other studies in which phlegm and dyspnea [25], irritation of mucous membranes and upper respiratory tract [8] [10] cough, sneeze and runny nose [5] have been reported as a result of y exposure to gypsum dust.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Respiratory Morbidity Associated with Long-Term Occupational Inhalation Exposure to High Concentrations of Hydrated Calcium Sulfate Dust

Neghab¹,

Toosi²,

Azad³

2016

ODEM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite wide application of hydrated calcium sulfate, possible respiratory effects of long-term occupational exposure to high concentrations of this chemical have only been investigated in a limited number of epidemiological studies. This study is undertaken to examine this issue, more thoroughly. This cross-sectional study is carried out at a local gypsum plant in Shiraz, capital of Fars province situated in south western Iran. All exposed subjects (20 male workers) and 20 healthy non-exposed male individuals as the referent group are investigated. Prevalence of respiratory symptoms among the studied subjects is evaluated and they undergo spirometry test (twice for the exposed group and once for the unexposed employees). Moreover, to assess the extent to which workers are exposed to gypsum dust and using standard methods, inhalable and respirable fractions of this compound are measured in different dusty worksites. Average airborne concentration of inhalable dust fraction is estimated to be 24 ± 14.76 mg/m 3 which is higher than the recommended threshold limit value (TLV) for this chemical. Respiratory symptoms such as phlegm, wheezing and dyspnea are significantly more prevalent in exposed subjects than in non-exposed employees (p < 0.05). The results of ventilatory function tests (preshift) don't show any significant differences between both groups. However, some post-shift parameters of ventilatory function such as FVC, FEV1 and FEV1/FVC ratio are significantly lower than those of preshift and referent group. Exposure to high atmospheric concentrations of gypsum dust is associated with a significant increase in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms along with acute reversible significant decreases in some parameters of ventilatory function.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Respiratory Morbidity Associated with Long-Term Occupational Inhalation Exposure to High Concentrations of Hydrated Calcium Sulfate Dust

Neghab¹,

Toosi²,

Azad³

2016

ODEM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This processing of grouping is called similar exposed groups (SEGs) [26, 27]. Brickfield SEGs are commonly classified as green brick molding (GBM), green brick stacking/carrying (GRS/C), red brick loading/carrying (RBL/C), coal preparation (CP) and fireman (FM) zones.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Respiratory symptoms and illnesses related to the concentration of airborne particulate matter among brick kiln workers in Kathmandu valley, Nepal

Sanjel

Khanal

Thygerson

et al. 2017

Ann of Occup and Environ Med

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundBricks have been manufactured in Nepal for hundreds of years and are seen as a component of Nepalese sculpture and architecture. Large quantities of hazardous materials including high concentrations of particulate matter are emitted on a daily basis from brick kilns. Exposure to these hazardous materials can lead to adverse consequences on the environment and human health. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of respiratory symptoms/illnesses and the magnitude of respirable and total dust exposures among Nepalese brick kiln workers.MethodsRespiratory symptoms/illnesses were evaluated by questionnaire among brickfield workers (n = 400) and a referent group of grocery workers (n = 400) in Kathmandu valley. Work zones (WZs): green brick molding (GBM), green brick stacking/carrying (GBS/C), red brick loading/carrying (RBL/C), coal preparation (CP) and firemen (FM) were the similar exposure groups (SEGs) from where personal air samples and interviews were taken. Among brickfield workers, personal monitoring was conducted across SEGs for total (n = 89) and respirable (n = 72) dust during February–March 2015 and March–April 2016. Applying multi-stage probability proportionate to size sampling technique, 16 kilns and 400 brick workers for interview were selected. Proportions, means, medians and ranges were calculated for the demographics, samples and respiratory symptoms/illnesses. One-way ANOVA was applied to compare the significance differences of the level of particulate matter among SEGs. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to evaluate association between respiratory symptoms/illnesses and participants groups, and SEGs among brick kiln workers at 0.05 level. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 21.ResultsChronic cough (14.3%), phlegm (16.6%) and bronchitis (19.0%) were higher (P < 0.05) among brickfield compared with grocery workers (6.8, 5.8 and 10.8%). Mean respirable (5.888 mg/m3) and total (20.657 mg/m3) dust exposures were highest for red brick loading tasks. The prevalence of chronic cough, chronic phlegm, chronic bronchitis, wheezing and asthma were significantly higher for other WZs workers (p < 0.05) compared with CP; for GBM: 22.9, 34.6, 15.0 and 7.5%; for GBS/C: 13.5, 15.8, 10.0, 8.8 and 7.5%; for RBL/C: 11.1, 17.1, 27.4, 19.0 and 11.9%; for FM: 18.4, 12.5, 28.4, 4.9 and 0.0%; and for CP: 4.9, 6.3, 13.3, 9.3 and 4.0% respectively.ConclusionHigh dust exposures identified in this study may explain the increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms/illnesses among Nepalese brickfield workers, warranting action to reduce exposures.

show abstract

“…O ccupational exposures are one of the primary causes of respiratory symptoms and lung function impairment (Ghasemkhani et al, 2006). Ac-cording to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, pulmonary diseases are predicted to become the third leading cause of death by 2020 (WHO, 2002).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined Effect of Cigarette Smoking and Occupational Exposures on Lung Function

Attarchi

Dehghan²,

Afrasyabi³

et al. 2013

Workplace Health Saf

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Workers in the rubber industry are exposed to pulmonary health hazards. The main purpose of this study was to assess the combined effect of cigarette smoking and occupational exposures on lung function. The exposed group consisted of tire manufacturing workers in production units and the non-exposed group included executives from the same factory. The researchers calculated the synergy index (SI) to determine the combined effect of exposures to cigarette smoke and pulmonary health hazards on lung function. A significant correlation was found between occupational exposures in the rubber industry and abnormal spirometric findings (p < .05). The synergistic effect of cigarette smoking and occupational exposures on lung function was significant (SI = 2.25; p < .05). This study demonstrated that occupational exposures and smoking may have a synergistic effect on the respiratory systems of tire manufacturing workers. The results suggest that tire manufacturing companies should consider establishing spirometric surveillance systems in their factories. Also, smoking cessation should be promoted, engineering controls applied, and respiratory protection provided to workers.

show abstract

Prevalence of Respiratory Symptoms among Workers in Industries of South Tehran, Iran

Cited by 29 publications

References 16 publications

Respiratory Morbidity Associated with Long-Term Occupational Inhalation Exposure to High Concentrations of Hydrated Calcium Sulfate Dust

Respiratory Morbidity Associated with Long-Term Occupational Inhalation Exposure to High Concentrations of Hydrated Calcium Sulfate Dust

Respiratory symptoms and illnesses related to the concentration of airborne particulate matter among brick kiln workers in Kathmandu valley, Nepal

Combined Effect of Cigarette Smoking and Occupational Exposures on Lung Function

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About