Background: The exposure to chemicals in detergent factories, as some studies have shown, has a negative impact the health of workers’ respiratory systems. The aim of the study was to assess the lung function parameters of detergent factory workers and compare it with those of a group of non-chemical workers using spirometry. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was performed involving male detergent factory workers and a comparison group of non-chemical workers. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to record workers’ characteristics, and the data were entered to the spirometry device. The spirometry test was performed to assess workers’ lung functions; we recorded the forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC ratio, peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75% of FVC (FEF25–75%), and lung age. Results: A total of 94 participants (28 detergent factory workers and 66 non-chemical workers) were included in the study. Detergent factory workers showed significant decreasing in the values of FEV1, FEV1/FVC ratio, PEF, FEF25–75%, and increased lung age compared to non-workers group (p < 0.05 to p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study showed that detergent factory workers have significantly lower pulmonary functions compared to workers in other non-chemical occupations. Further studies are needed to find the cause of this difference.

Title

Processes

Publisher

MDPI

Publisher Country

Switzerland

Indexing

Scopus

Impact Factor

3.352

Publication Type

Online only

Volume

10

Year

2023

Pages

1-9