Lung Function Abnormalities in Petrol Pump Workers in Suburban Areas of Chennai

Abstract

Background: The response of the human lungs to exposure to various particles like seen in atmospheric pollution, work place, various gases, have been studied in different populations by various studies. The pollution level in Chennai city is moderate whereas it is quite high in the suburbs of Chennai. Aim: To understand the effect of petrol and diesel vapours on lungs in persons working at petrol pump stations in the suburbs of Chennai through Spirometry. Methods: This study was conducted at 20 Petrol pumps in the suburbs of Chennai. Total participants were 250. Of these, 123 were workers [Group I] and 127 were office employees working in the pump stations [Group II]. Spirometry was successfully performed on 102 workers [GroupI] and on 102 office employees [Group II] who were also used as healthy controls. Result: The Spirometry values were significantly reduced in participants working in the petrol pumps as compared to the controls. The reduction further increased with prolonged duration of exposure. Conclusion: This study concludes that the respiratory function declines in those persons working in petrol pumps due to constant exposure to petrol and diesel fumes and the degree of impairment increases with the duration of exposure.

Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) in Smoker and Non-Smoker Petrol Pump Workers in Haldwani

“…Smokers develop abnormalities in pulmonary functions more frequently than non-smokers [10,12,15] . Early response of the lungs to smoking begins in small airways [4,6] .…”

“…Determination of pulmonary functions is highly dependent upon the duration and amount of tobacco consumed. Considering the economic status, bidi smokers predominate in the lower income groups while in the high socio-economic status group, cigarette smoking is more common [14,12,15] . Our study showed that almost all the smokers smoked bidi.…”

“…Further, most of the petrol pump workers belong to the lower socioeconomics class, predisposing them to various illnesses [15] .…”

“…Several animal studies have also demonstrated a consistent association between the air pollution and the altered lung function [12,13,15] . Petrol pump workers (Filling attendants) are continuously exposed to the organic and inorganic substances present in the petrol.…”

“…The actual purpose of this study is to assess the impact of petrol or diesel fumes / vapors coupled with environmental pollution on the lung function of petrol pump workers who are non smokers [8,12,15] . Diesel exhaust, in addition to generating pollutants like hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen and carbon is a major contributor to particulate matter in most places of the world.…”