Abstract
Background:Mining is one of the most hazardous sectors to work in because it predisposes workers to various hazards including dust. Exposure to dust is inevitable in the mines because the process of extracting gold involves breaking rocks. This dust can penetrate up to the alveoli of the pulmonary system and cause respiratory impairment.Objectives:To determine respiratory impairment, personal respirable dust exposure levels and associated factors among miners in a gold mine in Tanzania.Methods:Cross-sectional study design, employing questionnaire, was used for data collection on respiratory symptoms. Lung functions were measured using spirometry. Personal respirable dust exposure was collected from similar exposure groups using air sampling pumps. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 112 participants of the study. Data analysis was done using SPSS computer software version 20.0.Results:The overall geometric mean (GM) of respirable dust was 0.26 mg/m3 (GSD = 0.32) over a mean sampling time of 8 hours (with a range between 7–11 hours). The GM of respirable dust for underground workers was significantly higher (0.41 ± 0.28 mg/m3) compared to the open pit workers (0.17 ± 0.23 mg/m3) with p < 0.01. For underground workers, the GM of respirable dust was the highest among the bogger operators at 0.53 mg/m3 (GSD = 0.27). For open pit workers, the highest GM of respirable dust was found among the quality controllers at 0.39 mg/m3 (GSD = 0.18). Respiratory symptoms were phlegm (49.1%), breathlessness (42.9%), cough (37.5%), wheezing (18.8%) and chest tightness (10.7%). Cigarette smokers were more likely to suffer from breathlessness than nonsmokers. The prevalence of airflow obstruction (FEV1/FVC < 0.7) was 1.9%; whereas, the prevalence of lung restriction was 8.8%. The study established that age, smoking habit and previous exposure to dust could not predict lung function impairment.Conclusion:Despite levels of respirable dust exposure being below the recommended occupational exposure limits, the prevalence of respiratory symptoms was still found to be high among the studied gold miners. This calls for a need to conduct further studies on quartz content of the respirable dust.
Highlights
Each day approximately 6300 people die from occupational accidents or work-related diseases, totaling 2.3 million deaths annually [1]
The study population consisted of miners who had worked in dusty areas for not less than one year during the time of the study and had given their consent to participate in the study
The sample size for respiratory impairment was obtained through OpenEpi Version 3, open source calculator, while a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) sample size determination table [16] was used as a guideline to obtain a sample size for personal respirable dust exposure levels
Summary
Each day approximately 6300 people die from occupational accidents or work-related diseases, totaling 2.3 million deaths annually [1]. Exposure to dust is inevitable in the mines because the process of extracting gold involves breaking rocks This dust can penetrate up to the alveoli of the pulmonary system and cause respiratory impairment. Objectives: To determine respiratory impairment, personal respirable dust exposure levels and associated factors among miners in a gold mine in Tanzania. Conclusion: Despite levels of respirable dust exposure being below the recommended occupational exposure limits, the prevalence of respiratory symptoms was still found to be high among the studied gold miners. This calls for a need to conduct further studies on quartz content of the respirable dust
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