Respiratory impairment in cotton-ginning workers exposed to cotton dust.

Dust generated during the handling and processing of cotton causes ill health of ginning workers. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among cotton-ginning workers. This study involved 188 workers of 10 cotton-ginning factories. Forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) declined significantly with increasing duration of exposure (p < .001) of the cotton-ginning workers. Results of a standard respirator medical evaluation questionnaire indicated that, depending on duration of exposure, 51%-71% of cotton-ginning workers suffered from chest tightness, 55%-62% experienced chest pain, while 33%-42% of the workers reported frequent cough. Blood tests of the workers showed higher values of erythrocyte sedimentation rate, eosinophils, and white blood cells when exposure was longer. Byssinosis symptoms were observed among the workers. We recommend regular periodical medical check-ups, compulsory use of personal protective equipment, and proper ventilation at the workplace.

Monitoring and respiratory health assessment of the population exposed to cooking fuel emissions in a rural area of Jalgaon district, India.

Indoor air pollution is an ongoing problem in developing countries. Respiratory diseases are common worldwide in rural communities. This study was undertaken to estimate the respirable particulate matter (PM10) concentrations emitted from cooking fuels and their effects on the respiratory health of the rural population of Jalgaon district. The respiratory status of the exposed population was assessed by conducting pulmonary function tests in the study area. The levels of forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 second were lower, and difficulty in respiration and frequent coughing were more common with higher odds ratios (OR) of 2.53 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1-2.83) and 1.84 (95% CI = 0.95-2.10) in agrowaste-user female subjects. Ventilatory impairment among the agrowaste-user subjects was higher than among users of gas and wood. Difficulty in respiration and frequent coughing were strongly associated in wood-user female subjects as well with ORs of 2.10 (95% CI = 0.85-2.49) and 1.79 (95% CI = 0.91-1.98), respectively. Chest pain was significantly associated in agrowaste- and wood-user female subjects. This study confirms an association between the reductions in lung efficiency with high PM10 exposure in the rural population. The result of this study reveals an association between respiratory diseases symptoms and indoor air quality in the biomass-using rural population of Jalgaon district.

Hearing impairment among workers exposed to excessive levels of noise in ginning industries.

Cotton ginning workers have a risk of hearing loss due to excessive noise levels at the workplace environment. In this study, estimates of typical sound levels prevailing at the workplace environment and its effects on hearing ability of the exposed workers were made among cotton ginning workers. Data on self-reported health status was collected by a questionnaire survey at 10 cotton ginning industries located at Jalgaon district of Maharashtra state, India. The cotton ginning workers were exposed to continuous noise levels between 89 and 106 dBA. The hearing ability of the subjects was accessed by pure tone audiometry. The results of audiometry show mild, moderate and moderately severe degree of hearing impairment among the cotton ginning workers. The data generated during the study show that hearing loss was significantly associated with period of exposure to the workplace noise (P <0.0001). The prevalence of audiometric hearing impairment defined as a threshold average greater than 25 dB hearing level was 96% for binaural low-frequency average, 97% for binaural mid frequency average and 94% for binaural high-frequency average in the cotton ginning workers. We recommend the compulsory use of personal protective equipment like ear plug by the cotton ginning workers at the workplace environment. A regular maintenance of ginning and pressing machineries will avoid the emission of excessive noise at the workplace environment of cotton gins. A regular periodic medical examination is necessary to measure the impact of workplace noise on the health of cotton ginning workers.