Ali Naureen Akber, Nafees Asaad Ahmed, Fatmi Zafar, Azam Syed Iqbal
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Int J Occup Environ Med. 2018 Jul;9(3):120-128. doi: 10.15171/ijoem.2018.1191.
Cotton dust exposure among textile mill workers lead to impaired lung function. However, only few studies have investigated the dose-response relationship between cotton dust and lung function.
To determine the dose-response relationship between cotton dust exposure and lung function among textile workers.
This cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to March 2016 and included 303 adult male textile workers from spinning and weaving sections of 5 mills in Karachi, Pakistan. We collected data through a translated version of the American Thoracic Society respiratory questionnaire (ATS-DLD-78A) and using spirometry. Mill-level airborne cotton dust was measured over an 8-12-hour shift through UCB-PATS (University of California, Berkeley-Particle, and Temperature Monitoring System). Multiple linear regression was used to determine the association between cotton dust exposure and lung function assessed through the 3 indices: forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV), forced vital capacity (FVC), and their ratio (FEV/FVC).
The mean age of the workers was 32.5 (SD 10.5) years. The mean spirometry indices expressed in percent predicted values were FEV 82.6 (SD 14.0); FVC 90.3 (14.7), and FEV/FVC 94.9 (10.5). The median cotton dust concentration was 0.61 (IQR 0.2 to 1.3) mg/m. The frequency of respiratory symptoms was 15% for cough, 20% for phlegm, and 20% for wheezing. After adjustment for covariates, every mg/m increase in dust concentration was associated with 5.4% decline in FEV.
This study quantifies the exposure-dependent relationship between cotton dust and lung function; which has implications for regulations and standards in the textile industry in Pakistan and similar cotton-processing countries.
纺织厂工人接触棉尘会导致肺功能受损。然而，仅有少数研究调查了棉尘与肺功能之间的剂量反应关系。
确定纺织工人中棉尘暴露与肺功能之间的剂量反应关系。
这项横断面调查于2016年1月至3月进行，纳入了巴基斯坦卡拉奇5家工厂纺纱和织布部门的303名成年男性纺织工人。我们通过美国胸科学会呼吸问卷（ATS-DLD-78A）的翻译版本并使用肺活量测定法收集数据。通过加州大学伯克利分校颗粒与温度监测系统（UCB-PATS）在8至12小时的轮班期间测量工厂层面的空气中棉尘。使用多元线性回归来确定棉尘暴露与通过以下三个指标评估的肺功能之间的关联：第1秒用力呼气量（FEV）、用力肺活量（FVC）及其比值（FEV/FVC）。
工人的平均年龄为32.5（标准差10.5）岁。以预测值百分比表示的平均肺活量测定指标为：FEV 82.6（标准差14.0）；FVC 90.3（14.7），FEV/FVC 94.9（10.5）。棉尘浓度中位数为0.61（四分位间距0.2至1.3）mg/m³。呼吸道症状的发生率为：咳嗽15%，咳痰20%，喘息20%。在对协变量进行调整后，粉尘浓度每增加1mg/m³与FEV下降5.4%相关。
本研究量化了棉尘与肺功能之间的暴露依赖关系；这对巴基斯坦及类似棉花加工国家的纺织行业法规和标准具有启示意义。
