Respiratory symptoms and ventilatory function defects among Para rubber wood sawmill workers in the south of Thailand

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to assess the associations between respiratory symptoms and pulmonary defects of Para rubber sawmill workers in the South of Thailand. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 687 workers in Para rubber wood sawmills and a subset of sawmill workers from four factories participated in spirometric measurements and personal dust samplings. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to explore risk factors pulmonary impairment. The exposed workers had higher respirable wood dust exposure (0.902 mg/m³) compared with the unexposed groups (0.185 mg/m³). The exposed group had significantly higher prevalence than the unexposed group for chest tightness (odds ratio (OR) = 2.79) and shortness of breath (OR = 2.27). The ventilatory function values (FEV1 and FVC) were lower for the exposed group compared with the unexposed group (2.41 vs 2.55 L/s and 2.91 vs 3.01 L/s, respectively). The results suggest that sawmill factories using Para rubber tree wood should implement appropriate exposure control measures to reduce wood dust exposure to protect their employees.

KEYWORDS:

• wood dust
• pulmonary function
• respiratory symptoms
• exposure–response relationship

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all factory managers and sawmill workers who participated in this study. They extend their thanks to the diligent occupational health and safety hygienists they worked with for their assistance with various aspects of the project.

Funding

This research project was supported by research grants from the 90th Anniversary of Chulalongkorn University Fund and Grant for International Research Integration: Chula Research Scholar, Ratchadaphiseksomphot Endowment Fund under Grant (GCURS_59_06_79_01). The contents of this manuscript are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of these agencies.