Study of health status among rice millers

ABSTRACT

The present study was conducted aiming to evaluate the health status of rice millers with special emphasis on the respiratory conditions. This study included 30 exposed workers in rice mill located in Alexandria and 28 control subjects. Each worker and control subject was interviewed for his personal, occupational, social, and medical histories and history of smoking habit as well as history of allergy. This was followed by physical examination and measurement of height, weight, blood pressure, as well as pulmonary function measurements included FEV1 and FVC. Air was sampled to determine the respirable dust levels in all various sections of the rice mill. The study revealed an increase in the prevalence of significant difference of respiratory conditions such as chronic cough, chronic bronchitis, dyspnea and wheezing as well as eye irritation, nasal catarrh, palpitation and dyspepsia; and reduction in pulmonary function measurements of significant difference included FEV1 and percentages predicted of FEV1% and FVC%. These findings might be attributed to the exposure to rice husk dust. Environmental evaluation revealed that the mean dust exposure levels ranged from 1-2 mg/m 3. It has been concluded that exposure to rice dust seems to be of paramount factor in the increase of health complaints specially respiratory conditions