International Journal of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences ISSN: 2277-2103 (Online)

An Online International Journal Available at http://www.cibtech.org/jms.htm

2012 Vol. 2 (2) May-August, pp.15-21/Vyas
Research Article
15

A STUDY OF PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS IN WORKERS OF
DIFFERENT DUST INDUSTRIES
*Sangeeta Vyas
Department of Physiology S.M.S. Medical College, Jaipur
*
Author for Correspondence

ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to determine status of pulmonary function tests in sculptors, stone cutters, and
cotton dust workers and flour mill workers. The study included 120 subjects in age group of 20-40 years
fromsimilar socio-economic group. Eighty subjects were fromdifferent dust industries and 40 were taken
as normal healthy controls. The pulmonary function tests viz forced vital capacity(FVC), forced
expiratory volume in 1
st
second(FEV
1
), forced expiratory flowbetween25-75%(FEF
25-75
), peak expiratory
flow rate (PEFR),maximum voluntary ventilation(MVV) were determined using Medspiror, a dry type of
spirometer. The results showed a significant to highly significant variation in pulmonary function tests in
workers of different dust industries. The decrease in FVC and MVV indicates a restrictive impairement
whereas decrease in (FEV1), (FEF
25-75
), (PEFR) indicates an obstructive impairment. The observed
changes in pulmonary function tests could be due to mechanical irritation caused by dust and allergy
reactions due to allergen present indust itself and individuals susceptibility to dust depending on duration
of exposure.
Key Words: Industrial Dust Exposure, Cotton Dust, Marble Dust, Flour Mill Dust, Stone Dust,
Pulmonary Functions, Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in First (FEV1) Second,
Forced Expiratory Flow Between 25-75% (FEF 25-75), Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR), Maximum
Voluntary Ventilation (MVV)
INTRODUCTION
Bernadino Ramazinni recognized the influence of occupational medicine. The significance of
occupational hazards and need for protecting the health of industrial workers has been well recognized as
early as latter half of 17th century .Occupational pulmonary diseases are more widespread and more
disabling than any other group of occupational disease. The lung with its extensive surface area, high
blood flow and thin alveolar epitheliumis an important site of contact with substance in environment. The
inhalation of dust over periods of time leads to proliferation and fibrotic changes in lungs (Boyd
Textbook of Pathology1977).
Many studies have been undertaken in West and in India and have shown changes in pulmonary function
tests in different dust industries like cotton mill, grain-dust, granite-dust, sand dust, flour-mill dust etc.
The pulmonary function tests provide an assessment of respiratory system of its functions. The
applications of these tests in public health and occupational medicine provide biological indices that are
of value in assessing the effects of exposure of known hazards.
The pulmonary function tests have opened a new era towards scientific approach in diagnosis, prognosis
and management of pulmonary disorders by the early recognition of their alteration in industry workers
who are constantly exposed to various dust pollutants and to institute protective and preventive measures
to minimize the hazards of exposure to polluted environment Therefore it was planned to conduct a study
of pulmonary function tests amongst workers of different dusty occupations in J aipur district of organized
and non-organized sectors .

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The present study was conducted in 120 male subjects of age group 20-40 years fromgeneral population
of J aipur district. Out of which 40 subjects were taken as controls and80 subjects were of different dust
International Journal of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences ISSN: 2277-2103 (Online)
An Online International Journal Available at http://www.cibtech.org/jms.htm
2012 Vol. 2 (2) May-August, pp.15-21/Vyas
Research Article
16

industries i.e.as stone cutters (20), sculptors (20), cotton dust workers (20) and flour-mill workers (20)
respectively of same socioeconomic status.
The pulmonary function tests viz forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1st
second(FEV1), forced expiratory flowbetween25-75%(FEF25-75), peak expiratory flow rate(PEFR)
maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) were determined using Medspiror, a dry type of spirometer after
a detailed history of working in terms of daily number of hours, period of working, dietary history and
free fromay illness.
Exclusion criteria-presence of any acute or chronic respiratory disorder, systemic illness indirectly
affecting respiratory system .In present occupation for less than 2years,age less than 20 and more than 40
years, smokers, subjects not willing to participate and those with acute illness.
The anthroprometric parameters age, height, weight were assessed and pulmonary function tests were
performed in resting state with nose clip with subject sitting on the stool between 9a.m. to 11a.m.

RESULTS

Table 1: There was no significant difference between the mean age, height and weight of different
dust worker subjects with controls

Parameters Control
Sculptors
(gp1)
Stonecutters
(gp2)
Cotton Dust
Workers(gr3)
Flourmill
Workers
(gp4)
Age (Years)
30.72
6.31
30.75
5.45
31.9 5.05 32.34.89 30.15.12
Height (cm)
164.42
42
162.85
2.69
163.254.31 164.854.40 164.44.51
Weight (kg)
52.9
4.79
52.85
3.32
52.853.32 51.03.63 51.34.04

Table 2: Showing Mean, Standard deviation of pulmonary parameters in sculptors (gp1),
Stonecutters (gp2), cotton dust workers (gr3) and flour mill workers (gp4)


Units Parameters Controls Sculptors
Stone
Cutters
Cotton Dust
Workers
Flourmill
Workers
M S.D M S.D. M S.D. M S.D. M S.D.
Litre FVC 2.96 0.318 2.57 0.376 2.25 0.416 2.52 0.346 2.65 0.304
Litre FEV
1
2.59 0.292 2.26 0.372 1.76 0.362 1.97 0.421 2.21 0.433
Litre/sec FEF
25-75
3.22 0.396 2.78 0.488 2.13 0.724 2.64 0.970 2.78 0.805
Litre/sec PEFR 6.82 0.472 4.67 1.12 3.29 1.11 3.32 0.727 4.31 1.21
Litre/min MVV 110 6.97 84.1 8.56 75.45 10.73 75.15 12.93 90.85 9.94
International Journal of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences ISSN: 2277-2103 (Online)
An Online International Journal Available at http://www.cibtech.org/jms.htm
2012 Vol. 2 (2) May-August, pp.15-21/Vyas
Research Article
17

Table 3: Showing P value with statistical difference of pulmonary parameters insculptors with
controls

H.S. Highly Significant
S Significant

Table 4: Showing P value with statistical difference of pulmonary parameters in Stone cutters with
controls

H.S. Highly Significant

Table 5: Showing P value with statistical difference of pulmonary parameters in cotton dust
workers with controls
Units Parameters Controls
Sculptors

P value Significance
M S.D M S.D.
Litre FVC 2.96 0.318 2.57 0.376 <0.001 S
Litre FEV
1
2.59 0.292 2.26 0.372 <0.001 S
Litre/sec FEF
25-75
3.22 0.396 2.78 0.488 <0.001 S
Litre/sec PEFR 6.82 0.472 4.67 1.12 <0.001 H.S.
Litre/min MVV 110 6.97 84.1 8.56 <0.001 H.S.
Units Parameters Controls Stone cutters P value Significance
M S.D M S.D
Litre FVC 2.96 0.318 2.25 0.416 <0.001 H.S.
Litre FEV1 2.59 0.292 1.76 0.362 <0.001 H.S.
Litre/sec FEF25-75 3.22 0.396 2.13 0.724 <0.001 H.S.
Litre/sec PEFR 6.82 0.472 3.29 1.11 <0.001 H.S.
Litre/min MVV 110 6.97 75.45 10.73 <0.001 H.S.
Units Parameters Controls Cotton dust workers P value Significance
M S.D M S.D
Litre FVC 2.96 0.318 2.52 0.346 <0.001 H.S.
Litre FEV1 2.59 0.292 1.97 0.421 <0.001 H.S.
Litre/sec FEF25-75 3.22 0.396 2.64 0.970 <0.001 H.S.
Litre/sec PEFR 6.82 0.472 3.32 0.727 <0.001 H.S.
Litre/min MVV 110 6.97 75.15 12.93 <0.001 H.S.
International Journal of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences ISSN: 2277-2103 (Online)
An Online International Journal Available at http://www.cibtech.org/jms.htm
2012 Vol. 2 (2) May-August, pp.15-21/Vyas
Research Article
18

Table 6: Showing P value with statistical difference of pulmonary parameters in flour mill workers
with controls
H.S. Highly Significant
S Significant

Table 7: Mean values S.D. Exposure years for Sculptors, Stone cutters, Cotton dust workers,
Flour mill workers


DISCUSSION
The advent of pulmonary function tests have opened a new era towards the scientific approach in
diagnosis, prognosis and management of bronchopulmonary disorders. Many studies have been done in
relation to pulmonary functions both in normal subjects and in workers exposed to different occupation
dust hazards. With a progressive trend towards industrialization, there is a definite increase in
occupational lung diseases not only in other states of India but also in Rajasthan.
Dust inhalation has been co-related with number of respiratory diseases as one of the etiological factor in
formof pneumoconiosis, silicosis, byssinosis, grain fever syndrome, occupational asthma, farmers lung
etc.
In the present study the cases and controls were matched for age, height, weight and for same
socioeconomic status. The results in this study are indicating that workers of different dust industries are
prone to respiratory dysfunctions while working in them. The sculptors(group1)showed significantly low
values of FVC, FEV1, FEF25-75 and highly significant decrease in PEFR, MVV which are in harmony
with the findings as reported by Sartorelli et al., (1966), Abdullah et al., (1973), Gupta et al., (1976), Jain
et al., (1980), Malik et al., (1985), Rastogi et al., (1988), Mohan et al., (1992), Mathur et al., (1996).
The stone cutters (group2) and cotton dust workers (group3) showed highly significant low values of
FVC, FEF25-75, PEFR, and MVV. Similar findings were reported by Raghavan et al., (1964), Zuskin et
al., (1972), Abdullah et al., (1973), Gupta et al., (1976), Narsihma Rao et al., (1979), Singh et al., (1986),
Narayan et al., (1998), Sadik et al.
Units Parameters Controls Flourmill workers P value Significance

M S.D M S.D
Litre FVC
2.96 0.318 2.65 0.304 <0.001 S
Litre FEV1
2.59 0.292 2.21 0.433 <0.001 H.S.
Litre/sec FEF25-75
3.22 0.396 2.78 0.805 <0.001 S
Litre/sec PEFR
6.82 0.472 4.31 1.21 <0.001 H.S.
Litre/min MVV
110 6.97 90.85 9.94 <0.001 H.S.
Dust workers

Exposure years
Sculptors

7.752.49
Stone cutters

9.35 3.70
Cotton dust workers

10.33.27
Flour mill workers

9.03.06
International Journal of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences ISSN: 2277-2103 (Online)
An Online International Journal Available at http://www.cibtech.org/jms.htm
2012 Vol. 2 (2) May-August, pp.15-21/Vyas
Research Article
19

In flour mill workers (group4) FVC, FEF25-75 values are significantly low. Similar findings were
reported by Warren et al., (1973), Farrad et al., (1978), Chan Yeung (1979), Guillermo (1984), Elkarimet
al., (1986), Singh et al., (1988). The FEV1, PEFR, MVV are highly significant with similar findings by
Bhatt et al., (1991) and Bose et al., (1997).
So from above discussion, it appears that workers engaged in various types of industrial dusty
occupations for a prolonged period of time showed a reduction in pulmonary function tests which may be
due to mechanical irritation of respiratory tract by dust itself, release of mediators as histamine(cotton
dust),allergen(wheat flour)resulting into airway obstruction by inducing asthma by immunological
mechanismbecause of airborne end toxins present in wheat flour and by industrial chronic bronchitis with
a decrease in expiratory flow rates (FEV1,FEF25-75,PEFR)and an obstructive type pattern and deposition
of dust along conductive airways leads to fibrotic nodules and stiffening of lung parenchyma so decrease
in lung compliance and lowered FVC,MVV values and a restrictive type pattern.
The occupation itself may not be wholly responsible for such observed low values but some other factors
such as duration of exposure, poverty, overtime duties, fatigue, no protective measures, malnutrition, and
overcrowding, inefficient medical health checkup must also have contributed to these values.
So looking to these observations all types of measures should be taken to prevent the hazardous effects of
different dusts in industrial occupations so as to provide a healthy environment for the workers.

CONCLUSION
The study shows a significant to highly significant decrease in pulmonary function tests in workers of
marble dust, cotton dust, stone dust and flour mill dust industries when exposed to air pollutants in the
formof dust of different types resulting into pulmonary dysfunction. So appropriate exposure measures
are to be taken to minimize the effect of .dust in these industries.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I amthankful to all those who helped to carry out the study.

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