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In Kolkata city the road transports are maintained by private and Government organization. A major work force belonged to the State Transport Corporation (KSTC), Government of West-Bengal. The pollution caused by these vehicles affects the workers health and caused different types of respiratory problems. This study was undertaken to assess the pulmonary function status of these workers. City KSTC garage workers were investigated and categorically divided into two group: garage mechanics and the (2) those transporting the passengers (drivers and conductors). Vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) were recorded by Spirovit-SP-10 (Schiller Ltd, Switzerland) and Wright's Peak Flow Meter (UK) on 236 workers. The different flow volumes, FEV(1), FEV(1%), and flow rates, FEF(02-121), FEF(25-75%), etc. were calculated. The administrative people had higher PFT than the other categories. Drivers and conductors have almost equal mean PFT values but mechanical workers had slightly higher. PFT values according to different age ranges and duration of exposure showed gradual decrement as age and duration of exposure increased. Non-smokers had higher lung volumes compared to smokers and ex-smokers. Restrictive, obstructive and combined types of impairments were noticed in 28.4%, 1.7% and 2.9%, respectively, workers. The restrictive impairment was found to be 30.4% in conductors; 28.9% in drivers, 27.9% in mechanics and 21.7% in administration people. Obstructive type of impairment was found to be 2.9% in both drivers and conductors. The effect of pollution by dust and fumes may be responsible for these pulmonary function impairments, restrictive impairments being greater.

Particulate matter less than PM(10) and aromatic chemicals formed during incomplete combustion of organic matter are major environmental pollutants because of their toxic potential. The present study reports on the respiratory morbidity pattern of people exposed to auto exhaust as a result of the traffic load consisting of three varieties of vehicles (heavy, medium, and light) at three different points: North (B), South (E), and Central (C) regions of Kolkata, India. Particle size distribution was analyzed by an Anderson cascade impactor and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were analyzed by sorbent tube and capillary gas chromatography with flame ionization detector. Levels of VOCs, particularly benzene and toluene (at B, 15.2 and 20.1 microg/m(3); at E, 67.4 and 74.6 microg/m(3), and at C, 40.7 and 61.3 microg/m(3), respectively), were found to be appreciably high in three sites in Kolkata compared with the values reported by the U.S. EPA. PM(10) concentrations also have been found to be higher than the Central Pollution Control Board of India's permissible standard (

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