Ventilatory Defects in Toll Plaza
Workers at Sriperumbudur Toll
Plaza, Tamil Nadu, India
CC08-CC10
Correspondence
Dr. K Senthil Kumar,
Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, Meenakshi Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Enathur, Kanchipuram-631552, Tamil Nadu, India.
E-mail: drksk.cool@gmail.com
Introduction: Highways are the arteries of the nation. As fast as they grow, many toll plazas are installed to collect the taxes, ignoring the health hazards of the toll collectors due to the air pollution caused by the vehicular emissions.
Aim: The present study was aimed to carry out dynamic Pulmonary Function Tests (PFT) on the toll personnel using a computerised spirometry and identify any ventilatory defects.
Materials and Methods: This observational study was done on 44 subjects comprising of toll collectors, supervisors and security personnel who were continuously exposed to the vehicular traffic. After complete examination and informed consent, the eligible subjects were taken up for PFT and the results were interpreted. The Spirometry test parameters were compared with the predicted values by paired t-test. Statistical significance was indicated by p-value <0.05. Correlation analysis was done to find any relationship between the duration of exposure with spirometry parameters and respiratory rate.
Results: The PFT done on the toll personnel, showed significantly reduced FVC, PEFR and increased FEV1 /FVC ratio when compared to the expected values. The study subjects had increased respiratory rate than normal persons. More than 50% of the test subjects had ventilator defects.
Conclusion: Air pollution decreases the lung function of the toll personnel. Regular health check-ups with PFT can identify at risk personnel and protective gears can help them in long run.