Health problems of mill operators in a tropical African population

The study reports a questionnaire based survey on mill operators in a large market in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria. One hundred and twenty respondents, 65 males and 55 females aged between 18 and 65 years were interviewed and noise measurements were done at various work stations. Health problems reported by these workers include headaches 73%, backache 53% and respiratory symptoms such as cough 37% rhinitis 63% and wheezing 13%. Thirty four respondents (28%) reported a difficulty in hearing mostly due to tinnitus. Four complained of deafness. Twenty-three (19%) had raised blood pressure of 140/90Hg and above. In spite of the high levels of dust in the work environment only 15 (13%) of workers used a face cloth to cover their noses. Noise levels at the work stations ranged from 88-90dB from smaller machines and 101-105 dB for larger machines. None of the workers used hearing protection in any form. Health education of workers and the provision of low cost protective equipment may alleviate the suffering of these workers.