Jute Dust Research Articles

Respiratory and other illnesses among the jute-mill workers in an industrial unit of Bangladesh

Background and aims: Bangladesh produces 33% of the world’s jute and about 40 million people in Bangladesh are directly or indirectly involved in the jute sector. The jute (organic) dust inhalation causes byssinosis and other respiratory illnesses. However, no study has yet addressed the health status of the jute handlers/workers in Bangladesh. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of respiratory illnesses among the Jute Mill Workers (JMWs). Additionally, this study tried to find out the overall health status of the JMWs which included presence of non-communicable diseases (NCD) and its related risk, which are usually ignored.
 Study design: A cross-sectional study conducted in a purposively selected jute mill - 40km off from Dhaka City. Of the 5500 workers, a list of 600 workers was provided by the mill authority for enrollment in the study. The investigations included – a) interviewing on socio-demography and clinical history; b) anthropometry (height, weight, waist- and hip-circumference); c) blood pressure measurement; d) estimation of fasting blood glucose and lipids; e) peak flow meter test; f) spirometry; g) high resolution computerized tomography (HRCT) and electrocardiography.
 Results: Of the enlisted 600 jute mill workers, 514 (men / women = 478 / 36) took part in the study. The response rate was 85%. For overall estimate of bio-physical characteristics (n = 514), the means (95% confidence interval) of age, body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were 44.19 (43.34 – 45.04) years, 24.44 (24.16 – 24.73), 0.90 (0.90 – 0.91), 118.9 (117.4 – 120.4), 79.69 (78.81 – 8/0.54), respectively. Regarding social class and education, 84.4% were from non-affluent (poor) class and 50% were illiterate. About 88% of the JMWs had been working for ≥42 hours a week and 91.6% were exposed to moderate or heavy work (equivalent to ≥60 min walk). The prevalence of breathlessness, tightness of chest and chronic cough were 16.5%, 25.7% and 16.3%, respectively. The restrictive and obstructive pulmonary functions were detected in 7.0% and 0.8% of study population respectively. The prevalence of systolic hypertension was 16.5%, diastolic hypertension was 7.2% and diabetes (IFG+DM) was 13.3%. They had increased cardiovascular risks – hypertriglyceridemia (23.9%) and hypercholesterolemia (24.3%).
 Conclusions: JMWs have been suffering mostly from respiratory illnesses and a substantial number of them suffer from undiagnosed hypertension, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases. Dyslipidemia was also prevalent as a potential risk factor. The study could not assess ocular, auditory, musculoskeletal and mental health and it suggests that a well designed study should address these health related problems of JMWs.
 IMC J Med Sci 2019; 13(1): 007

Pyrolysis of jute dust: effect of reaction parameters and analysis of products

Biowastes are becoming potential feedstocks for direct utilization or conversion to solid, liquid and gaseous fuels via various thermochemical routes. In this regard, jute dust which is a major agro-industrial waste in jute mills was pyrolysed in a fixed-bed reactor with an aim to study the product distribution and their characterization and to identify the optimum condition for bio-oil yield. The investigated process variables were temperature (400–700 °C), heating rate (10 and 40 °C/min) and nitrogen gas flow rate (50–250 ml/min). The yield of bio-oil is found to be maximum at 500 °C with a heating rate of 40 °C/min. However, further increase in temperature leads to decrease in bio-oil yield. Chemical compositions of the bio-oils were investigated using chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques such as 1H NMR, FTIR and GC–MS. The heating value of the bio-oil is 26.71 MJ/kg. The study shows that jute dust have potential for conversion to bio-oil through the process of pyrolysis to supplement the petro-derived liquid fuel for heating and transportation applications after upgrading. The biochar produced as a co-product of jute dust pyrolysis can be a potential soil amendment with multiple benefits including increased soil fertility and C-sequestration.

Airborne Endotoxin and Its Relationship to Pulmonary Function among Workers in an Indian Jute Mill

Air samples from various processing areas of an Indian jute mill were examined for endotoxin. The authors assessed work-related respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function changes in the dust-exposed workers from the different processing areas using a standard questionnaire and spirometry. Endotoxin was estimated in water extract of jute dust from 3 milling areas, and in outside air, by the Limulus amebocyte lysate gel clot technique. The batching, spinning, and weaving areas of the jute mill showed endotoxin levels of 0.22-4.42 microg/m3, 0.04-1.47 microg/m3, and 0.01-0.07 microg/m3, respectively, values similar to those found in Indian cotton mills. Respiratory morbidities among the workers included typical byssinotic symptoms, along with acute changes in postshift forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1.0) (31.8%). Results of this study demonstrated that increased exposure to bacterial endotoxin in airborne dust is related to byssinotic symptoms among Indian jute mill workers. Findings were similar to those reported previously for workers in the cotton, flax, and hemp industries.

Relationship of jute dust to interstitial fibrosis in rat lung.

The relationship between jute dust and lung interstitial fibrosis was studied by instilling groups of rats, via trachea, with jute dust and comparing the results with those for positive (quartz) and negative (saline) controls. The rats were sacrificed at regular intervals and their lungs and hilar lymph nodes were analyzed for collagen content and morphologic changes. The earliest changes consisted of alveolar edema, increased numbers of intraalveolar macrophages, and marked thickening of the interalveolar septa, with mixed cellular infiltrates. Moderate thickening of the alveolar walls and the zones around the peribronchioles was seen in the test groups at 6 mo. After 12 mo, some fibrosis of the alveoli walls and peribronchiole zones occurred. Interstitial cellular nodules were observed occasionally, composed mainly of dust particles, fibroblasts, reticular fibers, and collagen fibers. The collagen content in the lungs of the jute dust groups was significantly higher than for the saline control group for all test periods. The authors conclude that jute dust may induce lung interstitial fibrosis.

Byssinosis among jute mill workers.

Although byssinosis in jute mill workers remains controversial, studies in a few jute mills in West-Bengal, India, revealed typical byssinotic syndrome associated with acute changes in FEV1 on the first working day after rest. The present study on 148 jute mill workers is reported to confirm the occurrence of byssinosis in jute mill workers. Work related respiratory symptoms; acute and chronic pulmonary function changes among exposed workers were studied on the basis of standard questionnaire and spirometric method along with dust level, particle mass size distributions and gram-negative bacterial endotoxins. The pulmonary function test (PFT) changes were defined as per the recommendation of World Health Organization and of Bouhys et al. Total dust in jute mill air were monitored by high volume sampling, technique (Staplex, USA), Andersen cascade impactor was used for particle size distribution and personal exposure level was determined by personal sampler (Casella, London). Endotoxin in airborne jute dust was analysed by Lymulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) "Gel Clot" technique. Batching is the dustiest process in the mill. Size distribution showed that about 70-80% dust in diameter of < 10 microm, 40-50%, < 5 microm and 10-20%, < 2 microm. Mean endotoxin levels found in hatching, spinning and weaving, and beaming were 2.319 microg/m3, 0.956 microg/ m3, 0.041 microg/m3 respectively and are comparable to the values obtained up to date in Indian cotton mills. Respiratory morbidity study reported typical byssinotic symptoms along with acute post shift FEV1 changes (31.8%) and chronic changes in FEV1 (43.2%) among exposed workers. The group with higher exposure showed significantly lower FVC, FEV1, PEFR and FEF25-75% values. The study confirmed the findings of the earlier studies and clearly indicated that the Indian jute mill workers are also suffering from byssinosis as observed in cotton, flask and hemp workers.

Effect of additives on reinforcement of radiation-induced jute-urethane polymer composites

Thick polymer film was prepared under gamma irradiation using urethane acrylate in the presence of N-vinylpyrrolidone, ethyl hexyl acrylate, and trimethylol propane triacrylate. Both jute dust and hessian cloth (jute fabric) were used to constitute composites based on the prepared resin matrix. Some of their physical and mechanical properties were studied. Some additives such as acetic acid, acrylamide, urea, talc, and titanium oxide were incorporated into the formulation to investigate their effect on the physical and mechanical properties. Water absorption and weathering resistance of the resin and composites were also investigated.

Pulmonary Function in Jute Dust‐Exposed Workers: A Dose‐Response Relationship

Pulmonary Function in Jute Dust‐Exposed Workers: A Dose‐Response Relationship: Jie Chen, et ai. Department of Pneumoconiosis, China Medical University School of Preventive Medicine—Pulmonary function tests were carried out on 488 jute‐exposed workers in a jute mill and 332 control workers. An industrial hygiene survey was also conducted. Most workers in the mill were exposed to dusts containing less than 6% silica, whereas a few workers were exposed to dusts containing approximately 10‐16% silica. The cumulative dose of dust exposure [dust level (mg/m3) X exposure year (yr)] was used as an exposure index to relate pulmonary function injury in jute workers. The results showed that jute workers had lower percentages of predicted pulmonary function than those of control workers. As the cumulative dose of dust exposure increased, average levels of pulmonary function (FVC, FEV1, MMF, V50, V25) in smoking male jute workers and V50, V25 in nonsmoking female jute workers significantly declined, and pulmonary function abnormalities (less than 80% of predicted FEVt or less than 70% of predicted V50) significantly increased as the cumulative dose of dust exposure increased. Examination of the effects of dust exposure and smoking on pulmonary function injury showed that not smoking but jute dust exposure was a factor associated with the decline in pulmonary function; Moreover, smoking interacted with dust exposure in causing declines in FEV1 Our results demonstrated that there is a dose‐response relationship between dust exposure and pulmonary function injury in jute workers. Based on this dose‐response relationship and by using the life‐table method, an exposure limit for jute dust was proposed as 4 mg/m3.

Effect of jute dust exposure on ventilatory function and the pertinence of cough and smoking to the response.

The ventilatory capacity of 32 men exposed to jute dust in the jute industry, was estimated at the beginning and end of shifts on the first day and last day of a working week. A detailed occupational, clinical and smoking history was recorded and a more detailed questionnaire on respiratory symptoms was completed prior to the pulmonary function tests. The presence of a productive cough among workers was noted. A mean decrease of forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV1) was observed among workers according to processes, concentration of dust exposure and smoking habit on the first day and last day of the week. The mean difference of values was observed in most of the comparisons but only a few were statistically significant. Low mean values of FEV1 were observed in workers having high dust exposure, a smoking history and productive cough in comparison to the low dust exposure group, non-smokers and workers without cough symptoms. The significant deterioration of FEV1 was found between before shift and after shift values of the low dust exposed group of workers who had a cough and smoking history. The relevance of these factors on the ventilatory function is observed and discussed.

Variation of lung function during the workshift among cotton and jute workers.

Cotton and jute dust exposure is known to induce reversible airway obstruction. We compared 50 exposed workers to 99 non exposed workers for the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and ventilatory impairment, and for variations in pulmonary function after five working days and after inhalation of salbutamol. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms was not significantly different between the two groups. Pulmonary function was not different on Monday morning, however, significant differences were observed on Friday afternoon. The exposed workers had a lower flow rate at 75% of exhaled forced vital capacity than controls (P less than 0.01). Salbutamol induced greater bronchodilatation in the exposed group. Comparison with a control group is necessary to take into account the change in pulmonary function. Repeated tests, combined with pharmacological tests, are able to differentiate the lung function pattern of exposed and non exposed workers.

In vitro haemolytic activity of jute dust

Jute dust exerted a mild to moderate degree of haemolysis on sheep and human erythrocytes. Human RBC were found to be more sensitive than sheep RBC, except at alkaline pH. The concentration of dust bore a direct relationship to the degree of haemolysis.

Effects of different vegetable dust exposures.

Valic, F., and Žuskin, E. (1972). Brit. J. industr. Med., 29, 293-297. Effects of different vegetable dust exposures. In order to establish the rank of biological activity of vegetable dusts, five groups of non-smoking female workers exposed to similar concentrations of hemp, flax, cotton, sisal, and jute airborne dust, respectively, were compared as to the prevalence of byssinosis, chronic respiratory symptoms, and one-second expiratory volume changes over the Monday shift. The groups were selected in such a way as to differ in the distribution of age and length of exposure to the respective dust as little as possible. The prevalence of byssinosis in hemp and flax workers was approximately equal (44% and 43% respectively), in cotton workers it was considerably lower (27%), while no byssinosis was caused by either sisal or jute dust. The highest prevalence of other chronic respiratory symptoms was recorded in hemp workers (39%), followed by flax (36%) and cotton workers (27%), while in sisal (13%) and jute workers (13%) it was the lowest. Significant mean FEV 1·0 reductions over the shift were recorded in all the groups of textile workers with the largest reductions in hemp workers (19%) followed by flax (11%), cotton (8%), sisal (7%), and jute workers (5%). The application of orciprenaline before the shift diminished the mean acute FEV 1·0 falls over the work shift in all the groups studied.

A comparative study of respiratory function in female non-smoking cotton and jute workers

<b>Valić, F., and Žuškin, E. (1971).</b><i>Brit. J. industr. Med.,</i><b>28,</b> 364-368. <b>A comparative study of respiratory function in female non-smoking cotton and jute workers.</b> To compare the effect of cotton and jute dust, respiratory symptoms were studied and respiratory function measured in 60 cotton and 91 jute non-smoking female workers of similar age distribution, similar length of exposure to dust, and exposed to similar respirable airborne dust concentrations. Cotton workers had a significantly higher prevalence of byssinosis, of persistent cough, and of dyspnoea (P &lt; 0·01) than jute workers. Among cotton workers 28·3% were found to have characteristic symptoms of byssinosis, whereas none was found among jute workers. Exposure to cotton but also to jute dust caused significant reductions of FEV_1·0, FVC, and PEF (P &lt; 0·01) over the first working shift in the week. Functional grading of jute and cotton dust effects has shown that about 30% of cotton workers had functional grades F1 and F2, while only 13% of jute workers were found in the same grades (F1). It is concluded that cotton dust may be considered more active than jute though the latter cannot be considered inactive.

The pharmacological activity of extracts of cotton dust.

Aqueous extracts prepared from dust collected in the card-rooms of several cotton mills have been prepared and found to contain activity which contracts the smooth muscle of guinea-pig ileum, guinea-pig trachea, rat stomach strip, and rat duodenum. The extracts contained an unknown contractor substance which was dialysable, resistant to boiling for one hour, and not destroyed by the action of proteolytic enzymes. They also contained a small amount of 5-hydroxytryptamine. One of the dust samples also contained histamine, but it could not be detected in the other samples, one of which was known to possess bronchoconstrictor properties in man. The particulate material, even after repeated washing, was found to have some stimulant action on guinea-pig ileum. There was no evidence for the release of histamine by the extracts in either cats or guinea-pigs, although a very small amount was released in rats. Jute dust is much less active than cotton dust, and the activity differs qualitatively. Cotton dust extracts were found to have pyrogenic activity but it is unlikely that pyrogens were responsible for the smooth-muscle contractor properties. Experiments with whole animals suggest that although smooth-muscle contracting substances were present in the extracts, it is possible that the symptoms of byssinosis are caused by the release of some other active bronchoconstrictor substance in the tissues. The mechanism of the release is not known; it may be caused by a soluble principle in the extract or due to the presence of particulate matter in the dust.