A Comparative Study and Correlation of Pulmonary Function Testsbetween Granite Quarry Workers and Healthy Residents in Proximity to Quarries

Background: Quarrying is the process by which rock, sand, gravel, or other minerals from the earth are removed to producematerials for construction work and other uses. During the process of quarrying, large amounts of dust particles of heavymetals, silica, and organic solvents are emitted from the earth’s .Kuppam region of Andhra Pradesh is famous for the greencoloured granite stone which has global demand, which is specifically found in the kuppam and surrounding villages,hence number of Quarries are more and causing respiratory diseases of local quarry workers. Methods: The study was conducted in the department of physiology with total of 50 Quarry workers for more than or equalto 5 years duration of working, both gender is randomly selected between 25-55 years of age. 50 Apparently normal healthyindividuals of both genders were chosen from 5 km away from the quarry area as the control group. Ethical approval forthe study protocol was obtained from Institutional Ethical Clearance committee (IECC). After inclusion & exclusion criteria,lung function tests were done in quarry and the normal healthy subjects. Results: There is a statistically significant change in FEV1, FVC & PEFR among quarry workers. Positive correlation ofparameters with number of years of exposure to quarry work and with distance from the quarry site. PEFR has shownnegative correlation with the distance from the quarry sites. Conclusions: Not only quarry workers but also nearby residing population are also at the risk of deterioration of lungfunction tests.