Effect of Wooddust on Lung Function and Anthropometric Parameters of Carpenters and Non-Carpenters

ABSTRACT

It is generally known that some types of dust impairs lung function. This study was designed with the aim to access if occupational exposure to wood dust from sawing and plaining of wood can impair the lung function of carpenters in Akim and Akai Efa timber market, Calabar. 40 subjects each for both test and controls were used for this study. The test group consisted of carpenters while the other 40 subjects used consist of 40 blue collar workers who had no obvious adverse occupational pulmonary exposure to wood dust and any other air pollutant. Both groups were all of similar age, height, body weight and chest circumference, so as to eliminate the effect of anthropometric parameters on lung function. An electronic handheld spirometer was used to measure the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR); FEV1% was computed from the values of FEV1, and FVC. FVC and FEV1 of test (2.47±0.009) with the reduction in FVC been statistically significant (P