Cotton Dust Exposure and Respiratory Disorders among Textile Workers at a Textile Company in the Southern Part of Benin

Abstract

The textile industry sector occupies a prominent place in the economy of Benin. It exposes workers to several occupational risks, including exposure to cotton dust. To assess the effect of exposure to cotton dust on the health of workers, this study was initiated and conducted in a Beninese cotton industry company. The objective of the study was to evaluate the respiratory disorders among the textile workers exposed to cotton dust and the cross-sectional study involved 656 subjects exposed to cotton dust and 113 non-exposed subjects. The methods used are mainly based on a survey using a questionnaire of organic dust designed by the International Commission of Occupational Health (ICOH); and on the measures of lung function parameters (FEV1 and FVC). The main results of the different analyzes revealed that subjects exposed to cotton dust have more respiratory symptoms than unexposed subjects (36.9% vs. 21.2%). The prevalence of chronic cough, expectorations, dyspnoea, asthma and chronic bronchitis are 16.8%, 9.8%, 17.3%, 2.6%, and 5.9% respectively among the exposed versus 2.6%, 0.8%, 16.8%, 0% and 0.8% among the unexposed subjects. The prevalence of byssinosis is 44.01%.The prevalence of symptoms is dependent on the sector of activity and the age of the subject. These results should encourage medical interventions and technical prevention especially since the textile industry occupies an important place in the Benin’s economy.

Association of air pollutants, airborne occupational exposures, and chronic rhinosinusitis disease severity

“…It is important to note that, along with PM 2.5 and BC, individuals may be exposed to a range of individual or combined airborne pollutants including vapors, gases, dusts, fumes, fibers, and mists (VGDFFiM) at varying daily intensities . Certain jobs, such hairdressers and farm and textile workers, and their associated occupational exposures are strongly associated with cough, wheeze, and nasal symptoms, including nasal discharge and frequent sneezing . However, studies have focused on general sinonasal symptoms and environmental exposures without clear clinical diagnosis and characterization of CRS using mostly self‐reported symptoms.…”

“…10 Certain jobs, such hairdressers and farm and textile workers, and their associated occupational exposures are strongly associated with cough, wheeze, and nasal symptoms, including nasal discharge and frequent sneezing. 11,12 However, studies have focused on general sinonasal symptoms and environmental exposures without clear clinical diagnosis and characterization of CRS using mostly self-reported symptoms. Those studies lacked objective measures of inflammation or the amount of occupational exposures and its impact in disease severity.…”

Job titles classified into socioeconomic and occupational groups identify subjects with increased risk for respiratory symptoms independent of occupational exposure to vapour, gas, dust, or fumes

“…Occupational exposures have been related to adult-onset asthma and work-aggravated asthma, and the population-attributable fraction is estimated at about 15% [2]. Several jobs and occupational exposures are strongly associated with cough, wheeze, and nasal symptoms [3–6], and low socioeconomic status is associated with asthma, cough, and wheeze [7]. In population-based studies, occupational exposure to vapours, gas, dust, and fumes (VGDF) have been shown to increase the risk of asthma [8], respiratory symptoms [9] and rhinorrhoea [10].…”

“…Most studies in occupational epidemiology are based on specific workforces or exposure to specific agents [3,6,11–13]. In large population-based studies, occupational exposures are commonly assessed by using a job-exposure matrix (JEM) based on job title, or by using a single-item question of exposures to VGDF.…”

Occupational Safety and Related Impacts on Health and the Environment

“…This analysis is partly confirmed by papers from Africa and Asia (but important health and safety challenges are still clearly present in Europe and Australia as other papers in the issue demonstrate). The study by Hinson et al reveals how exposures to ‘old’ and well-known hazards continue to present risks and cause diseases in new populations of textile workers in countries such as Benin where occupational health research in many respects is nascent [3]. …”