Respiratory morbidity in spray paint workers in an automobile sector

Abstract

Occupational asthma (OA) is a major cause of respiratory morbidity and the most common cause of non‐acute lung disease in the industrialized world. The incidence of OA in developed country is increasing, while in developing countries is still unknown. Automobile industry is a place where workers are exposed to harmful chemicals and toxic substances. In automobile industry work floor assembly lines chassis move continuously and pass by “Robot Painter” that spray them and workers assemble the chassis. The paint that is used contains isocyanate (low‐molecular‐weight compound) which is most common agent responsible for OA. Objective: The present study is undertaken to assess respiratory morbidity of paint workers in terms of obstructive and restrictive lung pattern and to study relationship between duration of exposure and respiratory morbidity. Materials and Methods: This cross‐sectional study included 70 car spray paint workers, who are working for 1-6 years in an automobile industry. A pre‐structured questionnaire was used to record the clinical, sociodemographic profile, and clinical examination. Pulmonary function parameters were recorded by a computerized spirometer‐Medspiror during their working hours. An independent t test and a correlation test were applied. Results: Sixty‐one workers had normal lung functions. The nine isocyanate‐exposed workers showed a significant reduction in FEV1/FVC (P < 0.05) suggestive of obstructive lung pattern. There is a strong correlation between duration of exposure and pulmonary functions (P value = 0.002). Conclusion: Decreased pulmonary function tests (PFT) in spray painters were related to duration of exposure to isocyanate.