EFFECT OF PM ON THE RESPIRATORY HEALTH OF POWERLOOM WORKERS

Environmental and occupational respiratory diseases account for a significant portion of preventable illnesses and premature death in the world. People who work in power looms constantly inhale fibers and encounter several respiratory disorders e.g. byssinosis caused by cotton dust. Especially PM2.5 µm can reach into the deepest recesses of the lungs, where they remain trapped in the lung tissue for years, and can cause and aggravate certain respiratory diseases e.g. chronic bronchitis, emphysema and also heart diseases. No effective cures for diseases caused by PM are known yet; it is only through prevention that their burden on society can be lessened. Studies narrating the association between PM pollution in work places and respiratory illnesses are scare, so more work is needed to understand such associations. Therefore a survey was conducted in power looms with special focus on correlation between intensity of health impairments and the particulate matter concentration of power looms.