Assessment of respiratory health effects of cement dust on the workers of Rabak cement factory

Mazahir Elhadi Abdallah Mohammed Ali 1, Abdelaal Ali Hammad Ali 2, * and Amna Hamid Imam Babeker 3

1 Department of Public Health, Applied Medical Sciences, University of King Khalid, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
2 Project Manager in Rae Company for Environmental Services, University of Gizera, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
3 Basic Medical Science, Applied Medical, University of King Khalid, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
 
Research Article
International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 2023, 08(01), 819–825.
Article DOI: 10.30574/ijsra.2023.8.1.0125
Publication history: 
Received on 26 December 2022; revised on 05 February 2023; accepted on 08 February 2023
 
Abstract: 
Globally, the cement industry has been identified as a factor which causes significant pollution. This study is conducted to assess respiratory health effects of cement dust on the workers of Rabak cement factory, Sudan. This descriptive cross- sectional study was carried out at Rabak city. 134 samples were taken from the workers of the Rabak cement factory. The respiratory symptoms experienced, were scored and recorded using BMRC questionnaire on respiratory symptoms. The lung function measurements were performed using a portable Spirometer. The respiratory measurements of the subjects were Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1) and Forced Expiratory Volume ratio (FEV1%). The results of the study showed that: the majority of the cement workers were infected by allergy. Cement dust might be the main cause of respiratory infection in exposed subjects. The duration of exposure to cement dust affects the prevalence of respiratory diseases among the cement workers. The present study clearly revealed that cement dust is not only the major cause of environmental pollution in the study area but also a threat to health of local inhabitants in addition to the worker. It has also been observed that majority of workers do not use personal protective equipment. 
 
Keywords: 
Respiratory health; Cement dust; Cement workers; Rabak; Sudan
 
Full text article in PDF: 
 
Copyright information: 

Copyright © 2023 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0