Pulmonary Functions are Impaired among Carpet Factory Workers: A Spirometric Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Pulmonology
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Carpet factory workers face continuous exposure to various dusts, potentially leading to adverse pulmonary health effects.
• Nepal, a significant carpet exporter, has numerous factories, yet the pulmonary status of its carpet workers remains understudied.
• Occupational dust exposure in carpet manufacturing is a known risk factor for respiratory issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess and compare the pulmonary function status of carpet factory workers in Nepal with healthy controls.
• To investigate the specific impact of carpet industry dust exposure on lung function parameters.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional comparative study design was employed.
• 118 subjects (60 carpet factory workers, 58 controls) were recruited.
• Pulmonary function tests were conducted using a Medical International Research Spirolab II portable spirometer.

Main Results:

• Carpet workers exhibited significantly lower FEV1 (90.37% vs. 103.89%), FVC (87.78% vs. 102.81%), and PEFR (66.19% vs. 102.81%) compared to controls (p<0.001 for all).
• A significantly higher FEV1/FVC ratio was observed in carpet workers (89.96% vs. 87.12%, p=0.007).

Conclusions:

• Continuous exposure to carpet industry dust adversely impacts workers' pulmonary functions.
• The observed decrease in FEV1, FVC, and PEFR, coupled with an increased FEV1/FVC ratio, indicates both restrictive and obstructive patterns of lung disease.
• Findings highlight the need for occupational health interventions in the Nepalese carpet industry.