Assessment of the prevalence of Respiratory Symptoms among the Workers of Automobile Industry

Aim: To assess the prevalence of respiratory system symptoms among the workers of automobile industry who are frequently exposed to hazardous chemical agent and dust. Study design: Cross-sectional observational study. Place and Duration of Study: In an automobile factory in Lahore in May, 2017. Methodology: Sixty eight participants of which 34 were exposed and 34 were non-exposed workers of an automobile factory were selected. Age, BMI, smoking history, lung functions including FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, PEF, PEF25-75 and VC before and after the work shift, symptoms including dry throat, runny nose, headache, fatigue, cough, phlegm, dyspnea, and wheeze; and chest tightness were compared between the cases and controls. Independent t-test, paired t-test and chi-square tests were applied. Data was analyzed with SPSS v.23.0 after considering p<0.05 statistically significant. Results: FEV1, PEF, and VC were significantly decreased in the exposed workers as compared those who were not exposed (p-value <0.001, <0.001 and 0.001, respectively). The decrease in FVC and FEV1/FVC and FEV1/VC ratio was also significant (p-value 0.011, 0.002 and 0.048, respectively). Dry throat, runny nose and fatigue were significantly more in cases (p-value 0.022, 0.016 and 0.018, respectively). Cough, phlegm, wheeze, and dyspnea; and chest tightness were more prevalent in the cases (p-value 0.015, <0.001, 0.001, <0.001 and 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: Decline in lung functions and prevalence of respiratory symptoms were significant in the workers exposed to dust and BTEX warranting the performance of lung function tests before and after the employment for the identification of the sensitive personnel.