RESPIRATORY DISORDERS AMONG WORKERS IN A TOBACCO FACTORY

Objectives: This work aimed to study respiratory disorders and pulmonary function tests among workers in a tobacco factory along with measurements of levels of serum IgE, and urinary cotinine and studying dust level inside the factory. Subjects & methods: The study was carried out on 79 randomly selected tobacco processing workers in a tobacco manufacturing factory in Menoufia Governorate and 80 voluntarily participating controls. Both groups matched for age, sex, residence, income and educational level and were subjected to a structured chest symptoms questionnaire, clinical chest examination, spirometric measurements and measurements of total serum IgE (IU/ml) and urinary cotinine (ng/ml) by Enzyme Immuno Assay (EIA). Environmental total and respirable dust was measured inside the factory. Results: Tobacco workers reported significantly higher respiratory symptoms and signs (cough, expectoration and wheezes), (P<0.05) as compared with controls and had lower mean values of predicted spirometric measurements (FVC, FEV1 and FEV1/FVC), P<0.001. Values of serum IgE level (IU/ml) and urinary cotinine (ng/ml) were significantly higher among tobacco workers (75.06 + 43.69 and 1422.73 + 1265.59) than controls (57.43 + 38.55 and 84.33 + 82.89, respectively), P < 0.05. Smoker and non-smoker tobacco-exposed workers had statistically significantly lower mean percentage values of predicted of FVC, FEV1 and FEV1/FVC as compared with smoker and non-smoker controls, (P <0.05). In addition, urinary cotinine and serum Ig E were significantly higher among smoker and non-smoker exposed workers as compared with exposed and non-smoker controls. A negative weak and significant correlation between spirometric measurements and levels of serum Ig E is noted among tobacco workers. Conclusion: The respiratory impairments noted among tobacco processing workers might be due to their exposure to the work environment and sensitization to tobacco dust.