[Follow-up of respiratory symptoms and pulmonary ventilatory function in jute textile workers]

The acute and chronic effects of exposure to jute dust on respiratory function was studied in a group of textile workers over a 19-year period. During the initial study the prevalence of all chronic respiratory symptoms was higher among the exposed workers compared with the controls. These differences in the prevalence were statistically significant at the time of the follow-up study, 19 years later. Four textile workers developed symptoms of occupational asthma during exposure to jute dust. Measurement of ventilatory capacity at both surveys demonstrated small but statistically significant mean acute reductions of FVC and FEV1 over the work shift. The values for FVC and FEV1 measured at the time of the follow-up study were significantly lower than the predicted normal values. The mean annual decrease for FVC and FEV1 was 35 ml/year what is greater than expected. Our data suggest that exposure to jute dust may in sensitive workers lead to the development of respiratory symptoms and diseases with less pronounced changes in ventilatory capacity.