The Study of the Health Hezards for The Respiratory System of Rubber Tire Manufacturing Workers

• Main Authors: JUAN, SHUN-NING, 阮順寧
• Other Authors: YING-CHIN KO
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 1997
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/17744613335851859532

碩士 === 高雄醫學院 === 公共衛生學研究所 === 85 === In addition to the rubber, the major ingredient to make the rubber tires, it is needed to add a great variety of organic and inorganic chemical agents to improve the quility of rubber tires. Most of the additives are in powder form. During the tire production processes, dusts, fumes and vapors, which are generated from those additives, enter and precipitate in the worker's respiratory duct and lung, then became a potential health hazard to the worker's respiratory system. the purpose of this study is to assess the health effects of respiratory system fot the rubber tire manufacturing workers and explore relative hazardous fcctors. 119 rubber workers and 119 control workers employed by the same plant in central Taiwan weresurveyed. By using a constructive questionnaire to investigte the prevalence of respiratory symptoms. The lung function test was performed to check the lung function. The results showed that rubber workers had higher prevalences of cough, phlegm, wheezing and dyspnea than control group, but there were no significant excess. For non-respiratory symptoms, the prevalence of skin itching was significantly different between two groups. The lung function test revealed that exposure to the dusts, fumes and vapors was a significant factor to decrease FEV1/FVC, FE F50, FEF75 and FEF25-75. The abnormal type of lung function for all workers was restrictive ventilation dysfunction. Age and previous respiratory illness are two hazardous factors significantly related to abnormal lung function. Overall, the study indicate that dusts, fumes and vapors of the airborne contaminants in the rubber industry, cause adverse effects to the lung function but they a re not significant association with abnormality of respiratory system.