Department of Environmental Health, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Department of Preventive Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
BMJ Open Respir Res. 2023 Aug;10(1). doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2022-001511.
Ethiopia's sugar factories are growing by creating job opportunities for thousands of workers with varying educational, professional and socioeconomic backgrounds. These sugar factories are a source of several hazards that severely harm the workers' health. In this context, there is inconclusive evidence on the level of bagasse dust exposure and chronic respiratory health symptoms. This study aimed to assess the degree of bagasse dust exposure and chronic respiratory health symptoms.
In this longitudinal study, five workstations were selected for dust sampling. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 1043 participants. We measured the dust intensity using a calibrated handheld real-time dust monitor once a month for 5 months, totalling 50 dust samples. Chronic respiratory symptoms were assessed using the American Thoracic Society's respiratory symptoms questionnaire.
A 1 hour time-weighted average of bagasse dust intensity in the boiler, power turbine and evaporation plant was 8.93 mg/m, 8.88 mg/m and 8.68 mg/m, respectively. This corresponded to an exposure level to bagasse dust of 85.52% (95% CI 83.2% to 87.6%). The level of chronic respiratory health symptoms was 60.6% (95% CI 59.2% to 61.9%). The most common respiratory symptoms were wheezing (96.8%), coughing (89.7%) and breathlessness (80.9%). The identified risk factors were lack of dust control technology (β= 0.64, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.75), not practising wet spray (β = 0.27, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.41) and not wearing proper respiratory protection devices (β = 0.12, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.56).
Bagasse dust exposure and respiratory health abnormalities were worrying concerns. The absence of dust control technologies and no practice of wet spraying elevated the level of exposure. Not wearing proper respiratory protection gear increased the odds of having respiratory abnormalities. Hence, the use of mechanical solutions to stop dust emissions at their sources and the wearing of proper respiratory protection gear are highly advised.
埃塞俄比亚的糖厂通过为成千上万具有不同教育、专业和社会经济背景的工人创造就业机会而不断发展。这些糖厂是多种危害的源头，严重损害了工人的健康。在这种情况下，关于蔗渣粉尘暴露水平和慢性呼吸道健康症状的证据尚无定论。本研究旨在评估蔗渣粉尘暴露程度和慢性呼吸道健康症状。
在这项纵向研究中，选择了五个工作站进行粉尘采样。采用分层随机抽样技术，从五个糖厂中选择了 1043 名参与者。我们使用经过校准的手持式实时粉尘监测仪每月测量一次，共测量 5 个月，总共采集了 50 个粉尘样本。使用美国胸科学会的呼吸道症状问卷评估慢性呼吸道症状。
锅炉、动力涡轮机和蒸发厂的 1 小时时间加权平均蔗渣粉尘强度分别为 8.93、8.88 和 8.68mg/m，这相当于暴露于蔗渣粉尘的水平为 85.52%（95%CI 83.2%至 87.6%）。慢性呼吸道健康症状的发生率为 60.6%（95%CI 59.2%至 61.9%）。最常见的呼吸道症状是喘息（96.8%）、咳嗽（89.7%）和呼吸困难（80.9%）。确定的危险因素是缺乏粉尘控制技术（β=0.64，95%置信区间 0.53 至 0.75）、不进行湿法喷雾（β=0.27，95%置信区间 0.21 至 0.41）和不佩戴适当的呼吸保护设备（β=0.12，95%置信区间 0.30 至 0.56）。
蔗渣粉尘暴露和呼吸道健康异常令人担忧。缺乏粉尘控制技术和不进行湿法喷雾增加了暴露水平。不佩戴适当的呼吸保护设备会增加出现呼吸道异常的几率。因此，强烈建议使用机械解决方案在源头阻止粉尘排放，并佩戴适当的呼吸保护设备。
