Abstract

Background: Cotton and synthetic textile industry in India is the largest industry in the country accounting for 14 percent of industrial output and providing employment to around 35 million workers. The workers are at risk of suffering from various chronic respiratory illnesses like byssinosis, chronic bronchitis due to exposure to the cotton dust in the worksites. Even though quite a few studies have been conducted in textile mills in India enough emphasis has not been given on the epidemiological aspects of chronic respiratory illness among the workers in these mills. The present study was, therefore, undertaken with two fold objectives to determine prevalence of respiratory morbidities and to find out the epidemiological aspects of the respiratory morbidities in spinning mill workers.

 

Methodology: A Cross sectional study was conducted among 462 cotton textile workers in Babashaheb Kedar Sut Girni Pvt. Ltd. of Central India. Interview technique was used to collect sociodemographic, anthropometric & addiction information on a predesigned proforma followed by detailed general and systemic examination.

Results: Present study revealed that among 462 workers (25.3%) workers had chronic respiratory morbidities. The morbidities included Byssinosis (11.7 %), chronic bronchitis (5.8%), Bronchial asthma (4.5%), Tuberculosis (1.5%), other obstructive pulmonary diseases (1.7 %) All the workers were male and age ranged from 21 – 58 years. Majority of the study subjects i.e. 97.4 % were literate and 94.6% belonged to class III & IV according to modified Kuppu swamy’s classification. The spinning process was carried out in seven main sections. Majority of the workers belonged to ring frame section (47%). The present study showed that (32.7%) had cotton dust exposure for more than 20 years. Only masks were provided as protective devices and (41.3%) of the workers were using it. Total (34.7 %) workers were smokers.

Conclusion: Advancing age, sections, duration of exposure, non usage of protective devices and smoking were seen as major determinants of chronic respiratory morbidities in spinning mill workers.

Key Words: Spinning Mill workers, smoking, Byssinosis, chronic respiratory morbidities

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