Original article

Scand J Work Environ Health 1989;15(3):188-194    pdf

https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.1863 | Issue date: Jun 1989

Respiratory health of brickworkers in Cape Town, South Africa. Symptoms, signs and pulmonary function abnormalities.

by Myers JE, Cornell JE

The respiratory health of 268 brickworkers in five brickworks was investigated by means of a questionnaire, a physical examination, and pulmonary function testing. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms ranged from 7% for chronic bronchitis to 52% for morning cough to 27% for both chest tightness and wheeze and 9% for dyspnea at effort. A stepwise logistic regression analysis showed the symptoms to be significantly predicted by combinations of smoking and exposure to dust, while a multiple linear regression showed an effect of dust exposure on forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 s but no smoking effect. Smoking generally had less of an effect than dust and predicted early/mild symptoms only.