Respiratory Morbidity Attributed to Auto-exhaust Pollution in Traffic Policemen of Jaipur, India

Aims. This study was conducted to evaluate pulmonary effects of traffic pollution on traffic police. Methods. The traffic police working in Jaipur city were given a predetermined respiratory health questionnaire, and their clinical profile and lung functions were measured. Results. This study showed that there were prominent respiratory symptoms and reduced forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) in subjects exposed to traffic pollution. When smokers were excluded, it showed a significant difference in FEV1 data of non-smoking subjects exposed to traffic generated pollution and those not exposed. The difference observed was 95.3 13.6 versus 87.8 0.95%, respectively, and 95%CI = 4.420-10.517, p = 0.001. Conclusions. Respiratory morbidity with respect to lung function tests is observed more in groups working in heavy traffic than the control group.