The Effect of Marble Dust on Different Pulmonary Parameters in Marble Factory Workers

The Effect of Marble Dust on Different Pulmonary Parameters

Authors

  • Dr. Qazi Rais Ahmed
  • Dr. Soudeep Kr. Sau
  • Dr. Sanjit Kr. Kar
  • Dr. Prakash Ch. Dhara

Keywords:

Marble factory workers, Smokers, Non smokers, Pulmonary parameters

Abstract

There are numbers of marble factories are found in Agra, UP, India and the numbers of workers perform their duties to those factories to maintain their family wages. Majority of the workers are habituated to smoke during their working period. The marble dust as well as smoking habits both affects the pulmonary parameters. Therefore an attempt has been taken to find out the severity of the affect of dust on pulmonary parameters in marble factory workers with respect to nonsmokers and residing far away from the marble factories, i.e., persons residing in Bareilly, UP, India. The study was performed on 90 male marble factory workers in which 62 workers with smoking habits and 28 workers are nonsmokers. And they are compared with 20 smokers and 20 non-smokers subjects, which are denoted as control group, considering same economic status. The subjects’ height and weight were taken following the standard procedure. The pulmonary parameters [Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expired Volume-1st sec. (FEV1), Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR), Forced Expiratory Flow (FEF25-75%) and Maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV)] were determined by means of a portable multifunctional computerized spirometer. The results indicates that there was a significant difference in FVC (p<0.001) and FEV1 (p<0.01) between control group and marble workers with smoking habits. It may be concluded that the workers of marble factories are directly affected from the dust of marble during working as well as non working period also, due to they were residing near the marble factories. This direct effect of the workers due to the inhalation of marble dust through the respiration, which might be causes restrictive or obstructive lung diseases.

References

1. Ampian S G, Virta RL. Crystalline silica overview: Occurrence and analysis. Washington, D C. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Information Circular IC9317, 1992.
2. Heaney P J. Structure and chemistry of the Low pressure silica polymorphs. In: Heaney PJ, Prewitt CT, Gibbs G V, eds. Silica: Physical behavior, geochemistry and materials applications. Reviews in mineralogy. Washington, DC: Mineralogical Society of America, 1994; 29 : 1–40.
3. Guthrie G D Jr., Heaney PJ. Mineralogical Characteristics of silica polymorphs in relation to their Biological activities. Sc and J Work Environ Health, 1995; 21 (Suppl2): 5–8.
4. Chattopadhyay B.P., Gangopadhyay P.K., Bandopadhyay T.S. and Alam J. Comparison of Pulmonary Function Test Abnormalities between Stone Crushing Dust Exposed and Non exposed Agricultural Workers. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 2006; 11: 191–198.
5. Davis GS. Silica. In: Harber P, Schenker MB, Balmes JR, eds. Occupational and environmental respiratorydisease.1st ed. St. Louis, MO : Mosby Year Book, Inc., 1996; 373–399.
6. NIOSH. NIOSH alert: Request for assistance in Preventing silicosis and deaths in construction workers. Cincinnati, OH: U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No, 1996b; 96–112.
7. Hessel PA, Sluis Cremer GK, Hnizdo E, Faure MH, Thomas RG, Wiles FJ. Progression of silicosis in Relation to silica dust exposure. Ann Occup. Hyg., 1988; 32 (Suppl1): 689–696.
8. Hnizdo E and Sluis Cremer GK. Risk of silicosis in a cohort of white South African gold miners. Am JI nd Med., 1993; 24 : 447–457.
9. Hnizdo E, Murray J, Klempman S. Lung cancer in relation to exposure to silica dust, silicosis and uranium production in South African gold miners. Thorax, 1997; 52 : 271–275.
10. Ng TP, Chan SL, Lam KP. Radiological progression and lung function in silicosis: A ten year follow up Study .Br Med J., 1987; 295:164–168.
11. Kreiss K and Zhen B. Risk of silicosis in a Color ado mining community. Am. J. Ind. Med., 1996; 30:529–539.
12. Miller BG, Hagen S, Love RG, Soutar CA, Cowie HA, Kidd MW, Robertson A Risks of silicosis in coal workers exposed to unusual concentrations of respirable quartz. Occup Environ Med., 1998; 55:52–58.
13. Ziskind M, Jones R N and Weill H. Silicosis. Am Rev Respir. Dis., 1976; 113: 643–665.
14. IARC. IARC monographs on the evaluation of the carcinogenic risk of chemicals to humans: Silica and some silicates.Vol.42.Lyon,France: World Health Organization, International Agency or Research on Cancer, 1987.
15. DHHS. Chapter8-Silica-exposed workers. In: The health consequences of smoking cancer and Chronic lung disease in the work place: A report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, office on Smoking and Health, 1985; 317–354.
16. Banks DE. Clinical features of silicosis. In: Castranova V, Vallyathan V, Wallace WE editors. Silica and Silica InducedLung Disease. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press, 1996. 23–37.
17. Steen l and K, Brown D. Silicosis among gold miners: Exposure response analyses and risk assessment. Am J Public Health, 1995a; 85 (10) : 1372–1377.
18. ATS (American Thoracic Society). Adverse effects of crystalline silica exposure. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., 1997; 155:761–768.
19. Bolsaitis PP, Wallace WE. The structure of silica surfaces in relation to cytotoxicity. In: Castranova V, Vallyathan V, Wallace WE, eds. Silica and silica induced lung diseases. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Inc., 1996; 79–89
20. Castranova V, Vallyathan V, Ramsey DM, Mc Laurin JL, Pack D, Leonard S, Barger MW, Ma JYC, Dalal NS, Teass A. Augmentation of pulmonary reactions to quartz inhalation by trace amounts of iron containing particles. Environ Health Prospect, 1997; 105 (Suppl5):1319–1324.
21. Rushton L. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and occupational exposure to silica. Rev Environ Health, 2007 Oct-Dec; 22(4) : 255-72.

Downloads

Published

2011-09-30

How to Cite

Ahmed, D. Q. R., Kr. Sau, D. S., Kr. Kar, D. S., & Ch. Dhara, D. P. (2011). The Effect of Marble Dust on Different Pulmonary Parameters in Marble Factory Workers: The Effect of Marble Dust on Different Pulmonary Parameters. National Journal of Integrated Research in Medicine, 2(3), 7–10. Retrieved from http://nicpd.ac.in/ojs-/index.php/njirm/article/view/1913

Issue

Section

Original Articles

Most read articles by the same author(s)