TY - JOUR
T1 - Air Quality in the Working Environment and Respiratory Health of Female Congolese Stone Quarry Workers
AU - Leon-Kabamba, Ngombe
AU - Ngatu, Nlandu Roger
AU - Muzembo, Basilua Andre
AU - Kakoma, Sakatolo
AU - Michel-Kabamba, Nzaji
AU - Danuser, Brigitta
AU - Luboya, Oscar
AU - Hirao, Tomohiro
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: This research has not received funding from any external organization or voluntary donation. Study activities were supported by the researchers; the air quality monitoring device was a gift from the University of Kochi, Japan.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - Background and Aim. Environmental and occupational exposure to high dust levels are known to be associated with lung function impairment. We assessed the ambient air quality in the working environment and the respiratory health of female stone quarry workers in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a context of severe economic, security, and health crises. Methods. This was a case-control study conducted in three stone quarry sites. Participants were 256 dust-exposed female stone quarry workers matched to 256 unexposed female office workers and market tax collectors (N = 512). They each answered a structured respiratory health questionnaire and underwent physical examination and a lung function test with the use of a spirometer and peak flow meter. Quality of ambient air in the working environment was assessed by means of a BRAMC air quality monitor (BR-AIR-329). Results. Results showed that exposed women did not use any personal protective equipment (PPE); in quarry sites, abnormally high levels of PM2.5 (205 ± 13.2 µg/m3 vs. 31.3 ± 10.3 µg/m3 in control sites; p < 0.001) and volatile organic compounds (VOC, 2.2 ± 0.2 µg/m3 vs. 0.5 ± 0.3 µg/m3, respectively; p < 0.01) were found. Furthermore, respiratory complaints were more common among exposed women (32.4% vs. 3.5% in controls; p < 0.01), who had abnormal chest auscultation and reduced lung capacity than controls (mean PEFR: 344.8 ± 2.26 and 405 ± 67.7 L/s, respectively; p < 0.001 Conclusion. Findings from this study show that in the midst of severe crises in the DRC, women stone quarry workers are exposed to abnormally high levels of respiratory hazards, which contribute to impaired lung function. There is a need to regulate quarry work and improve the working conditions in quarry sites in the DRC.
AB - Background and Aim. Environmental and occupational exposure to high dust levels are known to be associated with lung function impairment. We assessed the ambient air quality in the working environment and the respiratory health of female stone quarry workers in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a context of severe economic, security, and health crises. Methods. This was a case-control study conducted in three stone quarry sites. Participants were 256 dust-exposed female stone quarry workers matched to 256 unexposed female office workers and market tax collectors (N = 512). They each answered a structured respiratory health questionnaire and underwent physical examination and a lung function test with the use of a spirometer and peak flow meter. Quality of ambient air in the working environment was assessed by means of a BRAMC air quality monitor (BR-AIR-329). Results. Results showed that exposed women did not use any personal protective equipment (PPE); in quarry sites, abnormally high levels of PM2.5 (205 ± 13.2 µg/m3 vs. 31.3 ± 10.3 µg/m3 in control sites; p < 0.001) and volatile organic compounds (VOC, 2.2 ± 0.2 µg/m3 vs. 0.5 ± 0.3 µg/m3, respectively; p < 0.01) were found. Furthermore, respiratory complaints were more common among exposed women (32.4% vs. 3.5% in controls; p < 0.01), who had abnormal chest auscultation and reduced lung capacity than controls (mean PEFR: 344.8 ± 2.26 and 405 ± 67.7 L/s, respectively; p < 0.001 Conclusion. Findings from this study show that in the midst of severe crises in the DRC, women stone quarry workers are exposed to abnormally high levels of respiratory hazards, which contribute to impaired lung function. There is a need to regulate quarry work and improve the working conditions in quarry sites in the DRC.
KW - Air quality
KW - Congo
KW - PM
KW - Quarry worker
KW - Respiratory health
KW - Working environment
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U2 - 10.3390/tropicalmed5040171
DO - 10.3390/tropicalmed5040171
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85108948067
VL - 5
JO - Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
JF - Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
SN - 2414-6366
IS - 4
M1 - 171
ER -