Abstract

Background: Individuals engaged in poultry production are exposed to varying concentrations of airborne contaminants including organic dust, gases, endotoxins, fungi, bacteria, and bacterial constituents. Long-term exposure to this environment may put the poultry workers at risk for developing respiratory dysfunction. A periodic measurement of pulmonary functions can be a guiding factor to detect pulmonary abnormalities in early stages.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to record and compare pulmonary function parameters in poultry farm workers and healthy controls.

Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in 132 subjects. Pulmonary function parameters were recorded in 66 healthy volunteers and 66 poultry workers using autospirometer (Helios 701: Chandigarh). Data were analyzed using Student’s t-test.

Results: We found that all the pulmonary function parameters, namely, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume , FEV1, and FEV3 were significantly lower (P = 0.000) in poultry workers as compared to healthy controls, whereas FEV1/FVC% was normal indicating restrictive type of ventilatory changes in poultry workers. There was a significant decrease (P = 0.001) in forced expiratory flow indicating early small airway obstruction and FEF 0.2–1.2 (P = 0.000) indicating large airway obstruction. A significant decrease in maximum voluntary ventilation (P = 0.000) can be due to obstructive and/or restrictive lung diseases.

Conclusion: The results suggest that poultry workers should be made aware of hazardous effects of poultry dust, and the use of appropriate personal protective equipment during work should be implemented legally.

Key words: Poultry Production; Spirometry; Pulmonary Function Parameters; Respiratory Dysfunction; Personal Protective Equipment