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March 25-26, 2019 | Amsterdam, Netherlands
2
nd
Global Public Health Congress
Journal of Community Medicine & Health Education | ISSN : 2161-0711
Volume 09
Global Public Health 2019
Respiratory illness among brick kiln workers – A cross sectional study
Bal Rakshase
Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India
Respiratory illnesses involve multiple parts of the respiratory system and include ear infections, sinusitis, upper respiratory illnesses,
asthma, pneumonia, influenza and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Many individual factors and extrinsic factors
such as exposure to environmental stimuli, different allergens, air pollution, exposure to dust, various particulate matter and tobacco
smoke also contributes to respiratory illness. Air pollution from small and large-scale industrial areas has been considered dangerous
to human health. Small-scale industries play a prominent role in environmental pollution. Amongst the small sectors, the brick kilns
industry is growing very fast due to the rapid urbanization. In Asian countries, the workers are treated as bonded labourers, and
they are working in conditions similar to slavery. The present study aimed to find out the extent of occupational hazards in terms of
respiratory disorders among workers working at traditional and advanced brick kilns. The researcher took the cross sectional data,
conducted on a sample of 251 subjects from traditional and advanced types of brick kilns from Maharashtra, state of India. The study
found strong relationship between hazardous environmental conditions and the physical and respiratory health of brick kiln workers.
The findings of the study indicate that most of the brick kiln workers are at higher risk of experiencing occupational hazards in the
form of respiratory illness.
J Community Med Health Educ 2019, Volume 09
DOI: 10.4172/2161-0711-C2-057