Rubberwood Dust and Lung Function among Thai Furniture Factory Workers

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess factors affecting lung function among 685 workers in the rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis) furniture industry in the Chonburi and Rayung provinces of eastern Thailand. Study data were gathered using questionnaires, by sampling wood dust, and by spirometry. The mean wood dust exposure level in the factories was 4.08 mg/m³ (SD = 1.42, range: 1.15–11.17 mg/m³). The mean overall percent of predicted forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁), and FEV₁ /FVC values were 84 % (SD = 13.41), 86 % (SD = 14.40), and 99% (SD = 10.42), respectively. Significant negative correlations were found between mean dust exposure levels and FVC (p = 0.0008), and FEV₁ /FVC% (p < 0.001), but not FEV₁ (p = 0.074). An association between decline in lung function and wood dust levels among wood workers suggests that rubberwood dust exposure negatively affects lung function.