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Health Concerns of Textile Workers and Associated Community
1National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Summary
Textile workers face higher risks of respiratory diseases like asthma and byssinosis due to cotton dust exposure. Improving workplace conditions and protective gear can mitigate these health risks.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Environmental Medicine
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Textile industry workers are exposed to cotton dust, leading to respiratory and pulmonary diseases.
- Inhaled cotton lint particles cause breathing problems such as asthma, shortness of breath, cough, and chest tightness.
- Poor worker health impacts labor productivity, potentially leading to job loss and poverty.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the prevalence of respiratory symptoms in textile workers and their associated community.
- To compare the health profiles of textile workers, their community, and a control group to identify confounding factors.
Main Methods:
- A study was conducted in the cotton industry of Kasur, Pakistan.
- Stratified random sampling included 207 workers, 226 community members, and 188 controls.
- Descriptive methods and logistic regression were used to analyze the association between weaving and respiratory diseases.
Main Results:
- Prevalence of postnasal drip (47%), byssinosis (35%), asthma (20%), and chronic bronchitis (10%) were significantly higher in workers than controls.
- Each additional year of work increased the risk of these respiratory conditions by 5-6%.
- Workers also reported hearing difficulties, myopia, hyperopia, headaches, skin infections, depression, and low back pain, with no confounding factors like air pollution identified.
Conclusions:
- Weaving workers exhibited a statistically significant higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms compared to the control group.
- Implementing better workstation environments, protective gear, and worker education can reduce disease risks.
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