Work-related respiratory impairment in quarry workers

This study assessed work-related respiratory impairment in the quarry industry. A cross-sectional analytical study design was used and data were collected from 411 quarry workers and 411 control for spirometric assessment. Of the 411 quarry workers, 92% had good knowledge of dust as hazard. Three hundred and ninety six (96.4%) had good knowledge of Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE), 374(91%) used RPE provided by employers and 93.6% used the provided RPE always. Three hundred and eighty eight (95.6%) of quarry workers received training on correct use of RPE. The mean Total Suspended Particle (TSP) in the quarry environment was 5.22±3.38mg/m3 while TSP in control environment was 0.11±0.08mg/m3. The mean Particulate Matter of Less than ten micron (PM10) in the quarries was 1.27±0.67mg/m3 and control environment was 0.02± 0.01mg/m3. The mean Particulate Matter of less than 2.5 micron (PM2.5) in the quarry was 0.54 ± 0.34mg/m3 while in the control environment it was 0.02 ± 0.01mg/m3. The mean Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1), percentage predicted, for the quarry workers was 79.40 ± 2.73% and control workers were 89.46±31.24%.

Autorentext

El autor es médico consultor de salud pública en el Departamento de Medicina Comunitaria del Hospital Docente Especializado de Irrua, Nigeria. Es autor de muchos artículos revisados por pares, especialmente en las áreas de salud ocupacional, enfermedades infecciosas y salud pública en general. Le apasiona mejorar la salud de las personas en todo el mundo.