[Respiratory risk in carpenters and cabinet makers]

They are many risks relating to the wood; they are caused by natural components of wood, products of conservation, chemical agents and parasites of wood. We have carried out a retrospective survey which concerned exposed workers and controls in twenty small handicraft workshops in the joiners' souk of Marrakesh, it has enabled us to evaluate the prevalence of the clinical symptoms and disorders of respiratory function in 242 exposed subjects to the wood dust and 121 controls. This enquiry consisted of a questionnaire (European Coal and Steel Community: ECSC and the World Health Organisation: WHO), a clinical examination and a spirometry. Sixty-one point nine % of those exposed had clinical respiratory symptoms versus only 21.5% of controls. Rhinitis, asthma, conjunctivitis, chronic bronchitis and dermATitis were significantly more frequent in those exposed than among the non-exposed, with respectively 55.8%, 14.5%, 24.8%, 21.1% and 12.8% versus 16.5%, 6.6%, 8.3%, 5.8% and 4.9%. Exposure was the cause of respiratory symptoms because among non-smokers, exposed workers were more symptomatic than controls. Smoking exhibited a potentializing effect on airborne occupational contaminants because among exposed workers disorders were 1.8 times more frequent in smokers than non-smokers. A variable degree of respiratory obstruction was found among 30.1% of the exposed individuals versus 12.4% of the unexposed subjects. The effect of exposure was certain because among the non-smokers, 15% of exposed subjects had altered respiratory function versus 4% of unexposed persons. It is imperative to implement an occupational health service and to develop means for collective and individual prevention to maximally reduce the risk.