Pulmonary effects of exposure to synthetic fibers: A case study in a textile industry in Iran

Background & Aims of the Study: Industries continue to develop and use of various types of manmade fibers nowadays. Acrylic fiber is one of the most important synthetic fibers that use in industries. Based on this fact that, little information exists about workplaces exposure to acrylic fibers, purpose of this study is to determine so this study has been done for evaluation of the pulmonary effects of acrylic fiber. Materials & Methods: This cross sectional study has been done in a textile industry on 60 male workers in Qom province of Iran in 2014. The stratified random sampling was used for sampling, as each hall was regarded a class. The number of subjects who employed in spinning, weaving, finishing and pocketing halls was 26, 12, 12 and 10 respectively. The NIOSH method, 600 was utilized for respirabale dust sampling. Subjects were interviewed and respiratory symptom questionnaire were administrated to all of them. The pulmonary functioning indices were FVC, FEV1/FVC, FEV1 and FEF25%-75%. The data were statically analyzed using one sample t-test, Pearson Correlation Coefficient Test, one way analysis of variance, where applicable with a preset probability of (P<0.05) by using SPSS V16. Results: The highest level of personal exposure to the dust was observed in spinning and weaving Halls (9.07-12.45 mg/m3). In the spinning and weaving, the exposure to the respirable dust was less and the exposure to total dust was more than TLV-TWA. There was no significant relation among pulmonary performance and working experience, age, body mass index and using respiratory protection equipment (P>0.05). There is a significant inverse relation between the concentration of respirable dust and the variables related to the respiratory parameters. Conclusions: The total exposure value in spinning and weaving halls is higher than the TLV-TWA. There is high possibility for the emergence of early stages of disorders related to the obstructions of airways, especially in alveolar duct, in employees who work in the aforesaid halls. Modified engineering controls in these situations are recommended.