Abstract
Work in the wood industry might be associated with respiratory health problems. The production of particleboard used for furniture making and construction is increasing in many countries, and cause dust, endotoxin and formaldehyde exposure of the workers. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and to measure lung function among Ethiopian particleboard workers using Eucalyptus trees as the raw material. In total 147 workers, 74 from particleboard production and 73 controls, participated in the study. Mean wood dust in the particleboard factories was measured to be above recommended limit values. Particleboard workers had a mean age of 28 years and the controls were 25 years. They had been working for 4 and 2 years, respectively. Lung function test was done using spirometry following American Thoracic Society (ATS) recommendations. Respiratory symptoms were collected using a standard questionnaire of ATS. Particleboard workers had higher prevalence of wheezing, cough, cough with sputum production, phlegm, and shortness of breath compared to controls. Lung function status was similar in the two groups. The symptoms might be related to the work in the factories. Longitudinal studies are recommended to explore the chronic impact of work in particleboard factories on respiratory health.
Highlights
Wood dust is a complex substance and one of the hazards generated from processing of various wood types for a wide range of applications [1,2]
Formaldehyde that is added to the urea resin for gluing of wood products is associated with respiratory health problems [12,13] and decrements in lung function [14]
The majority, 147 (93.6%), of the participants in the study were males and used in the final analysis. Due to their low number, the females (5.7%)—eight participants from exposed and one participant from the water bottling factory—were excluded from the further analyses since gender differences are recognized for respiratory symptoms as well as for lung function [32,33,34]
Summary
Wood dust is a complex substance and one of the hazards generated from processing of various wood types for a wide range of applications [1,2]. Workers exposed to wood dust may develop different respiratory health problems [3,4] including reduced lung function [5,6,7]. Formaldehyde that is added to the urea resin for gluing of wood products is associated with respiratory health problems [12,13] and decrements in lung function [14]. A range of biologically active compounds like quinones, terpenes, stilbenes, phenols, tannins, and flavonoids might be released during wood processing [2]. Eucalyptus, an evergreen hardwood tree, is the main raw material for production of particleboard in Ethiopia [16] and is used for furniture like office tables and shelves, for interior wall partitioning [17,18] and construction [17,19]
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