Respiratory Symptoms and Pulmonary Functions of Workers Employed in Turkish Textile Dyeing Factories

• Main Authors: Sevin Baser, Göksel Kiter, Fatma Evyapan, Murat Kavas, Beyza Akdag Kargi, Sibel Ozkurt
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2012-03-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: textile dyes; respiratory symptoms; pulmonary function test
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/9/4/1068/
• ISSN: 1660-4601

Dyes are known to be a causative agent of occupational asthma in workers exposed to them. We have evaluated respiratory symptoms among textile workers. The study population comprised 106 exposed workers and a control (unexposed) group. Data were collected by a questionnaire. PFTs (Pulmonary Function Test) were performed. Among the exposed workers 36.8% defined phlegm. Respiratory symptoms were not significantly different between two groups. The employment duration of the exposed workers with phlegm was longer than those without phlegm (p = 0.027). The mean % predicted of FEF25–75 of the exposed workers was found to be significantly lower than the control (unexposed) group (p = 0.01). Our study suggests that textile dyeing might cause respiratory symptoms in workers.