A study on the respiratory effects in road construction workers in Mysore, India

Background: The process of road formation involves lot of chemicals which harm the respiratory tract. This leads to many health problems faced by road construction workers due to occupation. This study was done to find out the respiratory problems in road construction workers in Mysore.Methods: 128 workers were asked questions about their respiratory symptoms and knowledge of protection from occupational hazards, and their peak expiratory flow rate and oxygen saturation were measured.Results: Only 31.25% workers had appropriate PEFR. The oxygen saturation was more than 95% for all the workers studied. 30% of the workers suffered from cough and 30% from breathlessness. There was poor knowledge and practice of using protective clothing, especially masks (46% and 5%).Conclusions: Policy changes in preventive precautions for occupational hazards need to be brought in.