ABSTRACT
The prevalence of occupational diseases has increased progressively for the past two decades. Worldwide it has been estimated that 15% of adult onset asthma is caused by occupational exposure 35. WHO keeps on formulating and revising its guidelines regarding the prevention of occupational hazards but, because of poor implementation, especially in the third world countries including Pakistan, work-related ailments are becoming a challenge for the health sector. Pakistan is an agricultural country with cotton as it cash crop. A lot of manpower related with the cotton textile industry. Byssinosis is a disease related with the cotton dust and we lack the data at national level about the health of our cotton mill workers. It was therefore considered worthwhile to conduct the present study. To ascertain the effects of cotton dust on the peak expiratory flow of cotton mill workers in comparison with the healthy controls who never had exposure to the cotton dust. Subjects exposed and not exposed to cotton dust were analytically studied. The study was carried out at the out patient Department of Pulmonology department, Nishtar Hospital, Mullan. Six months from Oct 2006 till April 2007. A total of 200 male subjects [100 healthy controls and 100 cotton mill workers] who strictly met the inclusion criteria were selected from the OPD of pulmonology department. The peak expiratory flow rate [L/min] of cotton mill workers was significantly lower as compared to the control subjects [P<0.05] and this impairment was directly proportional to the duration of exposure to the cotton dust in the mill. The present study, concluded that the peak expiratory flow [L/min] was decreased in the cotton mill workers. This impairment is directly proportionate to the duration of exposure. The health status of the cotton mill workers was found unsatisfactory in the southern Punjab. It was therefore, strongly recommended that the mill, workers should be properly educated to adopt the-protective measures like masks, gloves, goggles etc, and also they should be kept under periodic medical surveillance