Respiratory Problems Among Rice Mill Workers in Bangladesh

Abstract

Rice mills are small scale industry abundant in Bangladesh producing parboiled rice. A large number of female also works in those major and automatic types of rice mills. Workers are exposed to occupational hazards mostly organic dust during parboiling, husking, storage and transport operations there. The rice mill dust contains disintegrated rice grain, bran, cereal germ, pollens, fungi, insects, mites and endotoxins. Prolonged inhalation of the dust can produce symptoms of the respiratory system diseases. This cross sectional descriptive study was done with the view to determine the prevalence of the symptoms of chronic respiratory health problems (CRHP) and to qualify those symptoms in respect of selective aggravating factors. Data were collected from five hundred sampled workers (266 male and234 female) of the selected rice mills situated in Rajshahi BSCIC area and the mills around Rajshahi city. In-depth face to face interview with pre-tested closed end questionnaire, Physical examination and lung function tests were done. Majority (69.0%) of the respondents were found working in the Parboiling and drying section (PBDS) of the mills. Among the workers, 34.0% were suffering from the symptoms of CRHP. Cough, dyspnoea, rhinitis and wheezing were the prevalent symptoms in 18.0%, 10.0%, 6.8% and 5.8% of the respondents respectively. Non­productive cough, running nose and dyspnoea without wheezing were the major presenting features of CHRP. Those workers were in job for short period and had those symptoms for short duration also. The symptoms of CRHP were found aggravated in the winter but had no relation with the other aggravating factors. Myalgia, headache andmalaise were the common acute health symptoms in 66.2% of the respondents. Symptom of Chronic conjunctivitis was found in 7.4 % of the workers. Among the male respondents, 87.6% were smoker. No clinical abnormality or any ailment was detected and all lung function tests values were in normal limit. BMI (Body Mass index) of the majority (59.4%) workers was in normal weight group. It was concluded from the study that the rice mill workers were suffering from symptoms only and signs of occupational respiratory diseases had not developed in them. Recommendations were made to arrange immediate medical treatment for the sufferers to eliminate the symptoms as micro­measures. As respiratory health problems in rice mill workers were at initial stage, macro-planning of medical, engineering, legislative and some general measures had been recommended for the promotion of health and prevention of occupational respiratory disease development in future among them.