Byssinosis among male textile workers in Pondicherry: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: In India, 20 million workers are involved in the manufacturing of textiles. However, there are few epidemiological studies from India that have assessed the magnitude or the risk factors associated with byssinosis. In Pondicherry, textile mills have been in existence for over a century. This case-control study aimed to find the factors associated with the development of byssinosis in textile workers. METHODS: The sample consisted of 761 men above the age of 30 years who had worked for at least 10 years in a textile factory. All the respondents were interviewed by a pretested questionnaire to gather information regarding the symptoms of byssinosis, certain personal characteristics and occupational history. Byssinosis was identified using the classification proposed by the World Health Organization. Two age-matched controls were selected for each case. RESULTS: Univariate analysis of the factors for symptomatic byssinosis showed that dusty worksites, heavy smoking and duration of service > or = 30 years were significant. Logistic regression analysis showed that working in the spinning (odds ratio 6.1) and weaving sections (odds ratio 1.9), heavy smoking (odds ratio 3.9) and > or = 30 years of service (odds ratio 2.0) were independent significant risk factors. CONCLUSION: Efforts to reduce dust levels in the working environment and to discourage smoking among textile workers need to be strengthened to minimize the risk of developing byssinosis.

Byssinosis in a Bombay textile mill.

BACKGROUND. Till a national campaign against dust-related lung diseases was launched by a voluntary agency in Ahmedabad in 1992, government records for the 150-year-old textile industry showed no cases of byssinosis--the disabling occupational disease caused by cotton dust. The worldwide incidence of byssinosis among workers in the dusty sections of textile mills is nearly 40%. We assessed the prevalence of byssinosis in a Bombay mill so that the Employees State Insurance Scheme would start conducting medical checks in all the 55 textile mills in Bombay and officially recognize the disease. METHODS. The study was conducted under the auspices of the Occupational Health and Safety Centre, a voluntary organization. Textile workers were called to a camp conducted over 3 nights and 3 days. We asked them to answer a questionnaire and tested their lung function using a Wright's ventilometer. The diagnosis of byssinosis was made if there was a feeling of chest tightness on exposure to cotton dust, and if the FEV1 was less than 60% of the expected result or the FEV1/FVC was less than 75%. RESULTS. Of the total 1075 workers in the mill only 273 came to the camp; 54 (30%) of the 179 individuals working in the dusty sections of the mill had byssinosis. In the non-dusty departments, 16 (17%) out of the 94 workers were affected. Among those working for less than 10 years in textile mills, 24% had byssinosis and among those working for more than 30 years, 45% had the disease. CONCLUSION. We found a prevalence of byssinosis among textile workers which is similar to that reported worldwide. The disease affected those who worked in both the dusty and non-dusty sections of the mill. There are an estimated 40,000 affected workers in Bombay and we suggest that the disease be recognized by the Employees State Insurance Scheme, and that the textile mill workers be compensated if they are affected by byssinosis.

Bissinose e asma ocupacional em trabalhadores de uma fiaçäo de linho em Sorocaba - Säo Paulo / Byssinosis and occupational asthma in a flax spinning mill in Sorocaba - Säo Paulo

Sessenta e três trabalhadores de uma fiaçäo de linho, setor de preparaçäo, foram avaliados através de questionário de sintomas respiratórios e espirometria, realizada antes e após a jornada de trabalho. As prevalências de biossinose e asma ocupacional foram, respectivamente, de 30 e 11 por cento. Quatro pacientes, suspeitos de terem asma ocupacional, realizaram curva de pico de fluxo expiratório, que foi positiva. Dos expostos, 12,7 por cento tiveram reduçäo maior ou igual a 10 por cento de VEF1 com a jornada de trabalho. Houve associaçäo entre bissinose e tosse e expectoraçäo cronicas, dispnéia com chiado e asma ocupacional. Dois anos após, 41 trabalhadores, disponíveis para seguimento, foram reavaliados. O declínio anual do VEF1 foi, em média, de 30ml para o grupo todo e de 52ml para os bissinóticos; 56 por cento dos indivíduos tiveram declínio anual do VEF1 acima do esperado. Concluímos que a bissinose ainda é uma causa importante de morbidade respiratória quando a concentraçäo de poeira no ambiente de trabalho näo é controlada. os dados confirmam que a exposiçäo ocupacional à poeira de linho acelera a perda anual de funçäo pulmonar, podendo levar à incapacidade permanente

Byssinosis in cotton textile workers of Kishangarh.

Byssinosis is an occupational hazard for the workers exposed to cotton dust. In this study 616 cotton textile workers were studied; out of which 149 had byssinosis; 37 (24.7%) had grade-1/2, 78 (52.7%) grade-1, 25 (16.6%) grade-2 and 9 (6.0%) of grade-3 byssinosis. Majority of the byssinotics were of age group between 36-40 years and had developed disease after 16 years of exposure. Disease was more common among smokers and severe, in whom consumption was more than 15 cigarettes/bidis per day for more than 10 years. Ventilatory function tests were markedly abnormal compared with non-byssinotic. On clinical examination and laboratory investigation (specially eosinophilia) and, radiological investigation (x-ray chest) no positive finding was detected. The high prevalence rate of the disease in this study was apparently due to poor working conditions of the workers.