Respiratory function in chilli grinders

The active principle of chilli is capsaicin which when inhaled induces cough and transient increase in airway resistance through selective stimulation of sensory nerves in the airway. The present study was aimed at determining whether workers exposed to chilli dust showed ventilatory changes as in the pharmacological model. Twenty-five men with an average age of 28.5 years employed in five chilli grinding factories in Sri Lanka for an average of 6.6 years (range 3 months to 20 years) were clinically examined. Their ventilatory measurements were recorded before and after a Monday workshift. A control group was similarly examined. Dust levels in the respective chilli grinding factories were monitored. Fifteen men (60 per cent) had initial symptoms including cough on recruitment, but these passed off in 3 weeks to 6 months. There was no statistically significant across-shift change in ventilatory indices in chilli grinders when compared to the controls, nor was there a significant difference in the pre-shift measurements in the two groups. It is concluded that the airway resistance that occurs in the pharmacological model is too fleeting, if present in chilli grinders, to be recorded under ordinary conditions.