Assessment of the respiratory predicament of bus drivers in different environmental conditions

Abstract

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Bus drivers work in different environmental conditions. Pollution is one of the main burdens of their day-to-day work. Traffic flow is the likely to significantly increase emissions of different types of pollutants such as carbon monoxide, particulate matter, oxides of nitrogen, and hydrocarbons. Drivers suffer from different types of respiratory problems due to exposure to these pollutants. Studies on bus drivers are rare, and reports are scanty. METHODS: Thus, it was necessary to study respiratory functions and environmental factors in bus drivers of West Bengal. According to the locations of work, i.e. rural and urban, 254 subjects or bus drivers were involved in this study. They were alienated into two groups: rural (n = 108) and urban (n = 146). The physical parameters of the subjects were measured. European Community Respiratory Health Survey-II questionnaire was administered to know their different respiratory responses. A lung function test was performed for all the subjects. Sputum cell was counted from the induced sputum of the subjects. RESULTS: It was found that symptoms such as cough, wheezing, and phlegm were three times higher in Group 2 compared to Group 1. Spirometric findings showed that slow vital capacity (SVC), forced vital capacity, and forced expiratory volume in the 1st s (FEV1) were significantly lower among the urban or Group 2 bus drivers. It was also detected that the mean value of SVC and FEV1 were significantly lower with the smoking habit. Sputum cells study showed that significant decrease in the mean value of the total count of the urban group. However, the mean value of neutrophil count was significantly increased in urban drivers’ sputum. CONCLUSION: From this overall study, it may be determined that the drivers of both rural and urban vicinity were prone to respiratory illness due to their regular dusty working environment. Regular exposure to this environment was the potent cause of different types of respiratory illness.