Respiratory symptoms and pulmonary functions in hazelnut workers
Date
2011Author
Arbak, PeriKaratas, Naciye
Balbay, Ege Gulec
Pak, Salih
Balbay, Oner
Annakkaya, Ali Nihat
Ozsahin, Sefa L.
Metadata
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Introduction: To investigate the effects of hazelnut exposure on pulmonary functions in a cross-sectional study on hazelnut processing workers. Materials-methods: One hundred fifty hazelnut workers (137 females and 13 males), and seventy controls (63 females and 7 males) were included. A questionnaire regarding the respiratory symptoms was given to all subjects. Standard pre-shift and post-shift forced expiratory pulmonary functions were obtained from all participitants by spirometry. Furthermore, dust particles were measured according to their sizes. Results: The occurences of common respiratory complaints as cough (8%) and dyspnea (6%) were significantly higher in hazelnut workers than the controls (p=0.009 and p=0.029, respectively). Both of the pre-shift and post-shift spirometric values of hazelnut workers were significantly lower than those of controls. Post-shift FVC (2738.9 +/- 652.2) was significantly lower than pre-shift FVC (2765.8 +/- 634.8) in hazelnut workers (p=0.024). Nine hazelnut (6.0%) workers have shown a decrease of more than 10% in post shift FEV 1 whereas none of the controls have had abnormal decrease in post shift values (p=0.060). Conclusion: A significant deterioration in both restrictive and obstructive pulmonary functions was observed in hazelnut workers. Preventive measures against dusty workplaces should be undertaken to protect the respiratory health of hazelnut workers.
Source
HEALTHMEDVolume
5Issue
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