Socioeconomic conditions and health hazards of brick field workers: A case study of Mymensingh brick industrial area of Bangladesh

Das, Sajan; Hasan, Md. Shamim Quamrul; Akhter, Rumana; Huque, Sumaiya; Khandaker, Sumana; Gorapi, Md. Zobayer Hossain; Shahriar, Mohammad Hasan

doi:10.5897/jphe2017.0927

Cited by 15 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Over 70% of the brick yards operate between 10 and 12 h daily while the respective proportions for other work durations in the survey are as follows: 1-3 h; (2.6%), 4-6 h; (5.3%) and 7-9 h; (18.4%). The result in this study is in congruent with the study carried out by Das et al [28] in Bangladesh, in which 60.7% of the respondents claimed to work more than 8 h daily (see Table 2). Kazi and Bote [29] described brick making as an unskilled, low paying job involving the use of strenuous physical labour for several hours.…”

Section: Operational Mode Of the Informal Brick Making Industrysupporting

confidence: 91%

Traditional Brick Making, Environmental and Socio-Economic Impacts: A Case Study of Vhembe District, South Africa

et al. 2021

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The brick making industry, despite its contribution to environmental pollution, plays a major role in the economic growth of South Africa, with the traditional technology accounting for a significant proportion of the total clay brick production. The aim of this study is to undertake a comprehensive description of the production phases of the traditional brick making sector in Vhembe district and how this contributes to air pollution. The study comprised a series of interviews and questionnaires of key role players from two small villages, Manini and Tshilungoma in the Vhembe district. In-situ observations of the production methods and phases were also undertaken between June and December 2019. The brick making production phases used in Vhembe district are excavation, preparation, moulding, drying and firing. An average estimate of 34,683 bricks is fired monthly per brick kiln in Vhembe district. Emissions from brick making organisations had resulted into several public health and environmental risks. To reduce environmental degradation, the incorporation of industrial and environmental wastes into brick making and the gradual transition to environmentally friendly technology such as Vertical Shaft brick kiln (VSBK) should be embraced. Thus, traditional brick making implemented with appropriate sustainable environmental technology has the potential to improve the socio-economic status of the brick makers.

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Section: Operational Mode Of the Informal Brick Making Industrysupporting

confidence: 91%

Traditional Brick Making, Environmental and Socio-Economic Impacts: A Case Study of Vhembe District, South Africa

et al. 2021

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“…This result following previous research in Kathmandu valley, Nepal which showed that brick kiln workers are at greater risk of respiratory-related diseases (5). Another study also stated that workers at brick kiln who engage different tasks of brick manufacturing could suffer respiratory illnesses (10).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Acute Respiratory Infection Among Brick Kiln Worker in Banjarnegara, Indonesia and Its Related Factors

widodo¹,

Wijayanti²,

Piranti³

2020

Insights in Public Health Journ

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Background Occupational risk factors are one of the primary causes of acute respiratory infection (ARI). The high incidence of ARI in Banjarnegara Regency due to the process of bricks manufacturing is needed for further investigation. Objectives: This study aims to analyze risk factors such as air quality, tenure, smoking habits, the use of masks, knowledge of ARI incidence. Methods: This is an analytic study with a cross-sectional design. 342 of brick workers in three villages in Banjarnegara Regency were involved in this study. Air quality examination on dust particles, temperature, humidity, smoke, and air germ numbers was carried out in 15 of the brick kiln. Data about the duration of work, smoking habits, knowledge of ARI, and the use of masks were obtained by a structured questionnaire. Results: This study highlighted that the duration of work was the most influential variable in ARI incidence. Smoking habits and the use of personal protective equipment (mask) while working also correlated with ARI. Conclusion: This study suggested the regular use of a face mask while working to prevent the workers from dangerous pollutants. Periodic medical check-ups for workers and health education are also important prevention to be carried out to reduce ARI incidence.

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“…The Dhaka metropolitan area (Greater Dhaka) incorporates the districts of Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Narsigndi. The major fuel for brick kilns industry in Bangladesh is coal, and wood is used as a secondary fuel (Sajan et al 2017). Heavy-duty vehicles mostly use high-sulfur diesel fuel.…”

Section: Dhaka Pollution Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, like particulate matter, SO 2 concentration showed significant seasonal variation in all three sites (Table 1), with the highest levels in winter. The brick kilns are one of the seasonal industries in Bangladesh, running their brick production only in the dry season, as rain interrupts the brick making, brick drying, and brick firing processes, so the brick making operation is carried out primarily during November to June, and not during monsoon season (Sajan et al 2017). Dhaka City is also surrounded by thousands of textile industries.…”

Section: Sulfur Dioxide (So 2 )mentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent spatial gradients and time trends in Dhaka, Bangladesh, air pollution and their human health implications

Rahman

Mahamud

Thurston

2019

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is among the most polluted cities in the world. This research evaluates seasonal patterns, day-of-week patterns, spatial gradients, and trends in PM 2.5 (<2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter), PM 10 (<10 µm in aerodynamic diameter), and gaseous pollutants concentrations (SO 2 , NO 2 , CO, and O 3) monitored in Dhaka from 2013 to 2017. It expands on past work by considering multiple monitoring sites and air pollutants. Except for ozone, the average concentrations of these pollutants showed strong seasonal variation, with maximum during winter and minimum during monsoon, with the pollution concentration of PM 2.5 and PM 10 being roughly five-to sixfold higher during winter versus monsoon. Our comparisons of the pollutant concentrations with Bangladesh NAAQS and U.S. NAAQS limits analysis indicate particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10) as the air pollutants of greatest concern, as they frequently exceeded the Bangladesh NAAQS and U.S. NAAQS, especially during nonmonsoon time. In contrast, gaseous pollutants reported far fewer exceedances throughout the study period. During the study period, the highest number of exceedances of NAAQS limits in Dhaka City (Darus-Salam site) were found for PM 2.5 (72% of total study days), followed by PM 10 (40% of total study days), O 3 (1.7% of total study days), SO 2 (0.38% of total study days), and CO (0.25% of total study days). The trend analyses results showed statistically significant positive slopes over time for SO 2 (5.6 ppb yr −1 , 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.7, 10.5) and CO (0.32 ppm yr −1 , 95% CI: 0.01, 0.56), which suggest increase in brick kilns operation and high-sulfur diesel use. Though statistically nonsignificant annual decreasing slopes for PM 2.5 (−4.6 µg/m 3 yr −1 , 95% CI: −12.7, 3.6) and PM 10 (−2.7 µg/m 3 yr −1 , 95% CI: −7.9, 2.5) were observed during this study period, the PM 2.5 concentration is still too high (~82.0 µg/m 3) and can cause severe impact on human health. Implications: This study revealed key insights into air quality challenges across Dhaka, Bangladesh, indicating particulate matter (PM) as Dhaka's most serious air pollutant threat to human health. The results of these analyses indicate that there is a need for immediate further investigations, and action based on those investigations, including the conduct local epidemiological PM exposure-human health effects studies for this city, in order to determine the most public health effective interventions.

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Socioeconomic conditions and health hazards of brick field workers: A case study of Mymensingh brick industrial area of Bangladesh

Cited by 15 publications

References 31 publications

Traditional Brick Making, Environmental and Socio-Economic Impacts: A Case Study of Vhembe District, South Africa

Traditional Brick Making, Environmental and Socio-Economic Impacts: A Case Study of Vhembe District, South Africa

Acute Respiratory Infection Among Brick Kiln Worker in Banjarnegara, Indonesia and Its Related Factors

Recent spatial gradients and time trends in Dhaka, Bangladesh, air pollution and their human health implications

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