Assessment of Peak Expiratory Flow Rate in Spice Mill Workers - A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Numerous industries have researched the effects of occupational dust and particles on respiratory function. The continuous exposure to dispersed particles causes respiratory ailments in spice mill workers. Spice dust exposure is linked to a systemic inflammatory response, including respiratory irritation. Spice dust is finely divided solid particles and a form of respirable dust this is the leading cause of occupational disease. Allergies and asthma have been linked to spice mill workers. Objective: To study the effect of spice dust exposure on expiratory function and to compare the peak expiratory flow rate of spice mill workers and normal adults across age groups and gender Method: 186 subjects in Mumbai region, 93 spice mill workers and 93 normal adults were selected as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. PEFR was measured in all the participants using a mini Wright peak flow meter. Result: The statistical analysis showed that there is a significant difference in the peak expiratory flow rates of spice mill workers. However, intergroup analysis between age groups showed that there was not much difference in the PEFR values for the age group 40-50 when compared with normal. The reason could be less number of participants available for the study. Also, the gender-wise comparison showed statistically significant difference in male and female PEFR values. Conclusion: The present study concluded that peak expiratory flow rate was significantly reduced in spice mill workers when compared to normal adults of same age. Key words: PEFR, spice mill workers, spice dust, allergies.