Introduction: Cotton dust inhalation is responsible for the major respiratory symptoms and disease among textile workers. In spite of the seriousness of exposure to cotton dust, little concern has been given to the problem in Egypt and other developing countries.
Aim of the work: Assessment of the respiratory health status of textile industry workers.
Subjects: All male textile workers exposed to cotton dust in a textile factory located in Alexandria Governorate(n=184). A comparison population consisted of 180 workers not exposed to cotton dust or any other hazards that might affect the respiratory system were selected from same factory.
Methods: A cross sectional comparative design was adopted for this research. All workers were subjected to a self-structured interviewing questionnaire to obtain personal and occupational history, British Medical Research Council questionnaire (BMRC) on respiratory symptoms and smoking habit, byssinosis diagnosis questionnaire based on schilling criteria and pulmonary function measurement.
Results: The prevalence of chronic cough, chronic phlegm production and chronic bronchitis were significantly higher among exposed workers the mean values of lung function indices reflecting large airways function as forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) were significantly lower in exposed workers compared to unexposed workers.
Conclusions: Occupational exposure to cotton dust was associated with increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms and obstructive pattern in pulmonary function test.