Abstract

Background: One of the major health problems of sawmill workers is respiratory, which usually results from breathing in noxious or toxic chemicals such as wood dust.

Objective: To evaluate the respiratory functions of sawmill workers within the area of Sulaimani city.

Materials and Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study was carried out among 42 randomly selected sawmill workers in Sulaimani city from January to April 2015. Lung function test was performed to all participants and were also given modified British Medical Research Council questionnaire on respiratory symptoms. Seventeen healthy nonexposed subjects were included as control.

Results: The study demonstrated that lung function significantly reduced in sawmill workers compared with control subjects, and such impairment was poorly correlated with the duration of exposure. The most prevalent respiratory symptoms among workers were running nose (50%) and oral cavity irritation (4%).

Conclusion: Sawmill workers in Sulaimani city showed reduced pulmonary functions and higher prevalence of pulmonary-related symptoms compared with nonexposed subjects.

Key words: Sawmill workers, wood dust, lung function, respiratory symptoms