Pawaree Kompayak. A comparative study of dust exposure to pulmonary function impairment of sugar mill workers . Master's Degree(Industrial Hygiene and Safety). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2004.
A comparative study of dust exposure to pulmonary function impairment of sugar mill workers
Abstract:
The study of dust exposure to pulmonary function impairment of 218 sugar mill
workers at Tumbon Tamaka, Ampher Tamaka, Kanchanaburi province was conducted from
April to October 2003. The main objective was to determine dust exposure and some factors
which were related to pulmonary function impairment. There were three types of dust
exposure (total dust, respirable dust and silica dust) and each type of dust was characterized
into three level of concentration value; the low dust concentration level, the moderate dust
concentration level and high dust concentration level. Some factors related to pulmonary
function impairment in this study were age, working duration, mask usage and cigarette
smoking. Researcher instruments in this study were questionnaire, personal high volume pump
and Spirometer test for pulmonary function impairment.
Results indicated that the average concentration of total dust, respirable dust and silica
dust in office area was 0.022 mg/m3, 0.0049 mg/m3 and 0.00012 mg/m3 respectively, which
were classified as low dust concentration values. In processing area such as packing, land
development, evaporator, vacuum pan and centrifugal sections, the average concentration of
total dust, respirable dust and silica dust was 1.91 mg/m3, 0.42 mg/m3 and 0.0093 mg/m3
respectively which were classified as moderate dust concentration values. In processing areas
of boiler and milling and in the auto maintenance section, the average concentration of total
dust, respirable dust and silica dust was 6.13 mg/m3, 1.67 mg/m3 and 0.021 mg/m3
respectively, which were classified as high dust concentration values. However, dust
concentration values in all types of dust in both office area and processing area were not over
Thai legal limits, ACGIH recommend and OSHA standard for nuisance dust. The results of
pulmonary function test revealed that restrictive patterns were found in 23 cases, the
obstructive patterns in 3 cases and the combine patterns in 20 cases. The total numbers of
abnormal pulmonary function were 46 cases (21.1% of samples). When testing for the relation
between level of dust concentration and pulmonary function impairment, the results showed
that there were no statistically significant relations (p-value > 0.05) in all types of dust. For the
determination of relationship between some factors and pulmonary function impairment, the
results showed that, age, working duration, mask usage and cigarette smoking were not
statistically and significantly related at p-value > 0.05 Chronic cough was a respiratory
symptom related to abnormal pulmonary function with statistically significance at p-value =
0.05. When comparing the methods to determine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms
between questionnaire and spirometry, the results showed that the percentage of difference
between respiratory symptoms from questionnaire and spirometry of the samples were 1.38%.
Of the samples whose spirometry were abnormal there was a difference 73.91%.