-
Respiratory symptoms and illnesses related to the concentration of airborne particulate matter among brick kiln workers in Kathmandu valley, Nepal
-
Seshananda Sanjel, Sanjay N. Khanal, Steven M. Thygerson, William S. Carter, James D. Johnston, Sunil K. Joshi
-
Ann Occup Environ Med 2017;29:9. Published online March 27, 2017
-
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40557-017-0165-0
-
-
Abstract
PDFPubReaderePub
- Background
Bricks have been manufactured in Nepal for hundreds of years and are seen as a component of Nepalese sculpture and architecture. Large quantities of hazardous materials including high concentrations of particulate matter are emitted on a daily basis from brick kilns. Exposure to these hazardous materials can lead to adverse consequences on the environment and human health. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of respiratory symptoms/illnesses and the magnitude of respirable and total dust exposures among Nepalese brick kiln workers. MethodsRespiratory symptoms/illnesses were evaluated by questionnaire among brickfield workers (n = 400) and a referent group of grocery workers (n = 400) in Kathmandu valley. Work zones (WZs): green brick molding (GBM), green brick stacking/carrying (GBS/C), red brick loading/carrying (RBL/C), coal preparation (CP) and firemen (FM) were the similar exposure groups (SEGs) from where personal air samples and interviews were taken. Among brickfield workers, personal monitoring was conducted across SEGs for total (n = 89) and respirable (n = 72) dust during February–March 2015 and March–April 2016. Applying multi-stage probability proportionate to size sampling technique, 16 kilns and 400 brick workers for interview were selected. Proportions, means, medians and ranges were calculated for the demographics, samples and respiratory symptoms/illnesses. One-way ANOVA was applied to compare the significance differences of the level of particulate matter among SEGs. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to evaluate association between respiratory symptoms/illnesses and participants groups, and SEGs among brick kiln workers at 0.05 level. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 21. ResultsChronic cough (14.3%), phlegm (16.6%) and bronchitis (19.0%) were higher (P < 0.05) among brickfield compared with grocery workers (6.8, 5.8 and 10.8%). Mean respirable (5.888 mg/m3) and total (20.657 mg/m3) dust exposures were highest for red brick loading tasks. The prevalence of chronic cough, chronic phlegm, chronic bronchitis, wheezing and asthma were significantly higher for other WZs workers (p < 0.05) compared with CP; for GBM: 22.9, 34.6, 15.0 and 7.5%; for GBS/C: 13.5, 15.8, 10.0, 8.8 and 7.5%; for RBL/C: 11.1, 17.1, 27.4, 19.0 and 11.9%; for FM: 18.4, 12.5, 28.4, 4.9 and 0.0%; and for CP: 4.9, 6.3, 13.3, 9.3 and 4.0% respectively. ConclusionHigh dust exposures identified in this study may explain the increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms/illnesses among Nepalese brickfield workers, warranting action to reduce exposures.
-
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
- Differential Inflammatory Cytokine Elaboration in Serum from Brick Kiln Workers in Bhaktapur, Nepal
Katrina L. Curtis, Ashley Chang, James D. Johnston, John D. Beard, Scott C. Collingwood, James D. LeCheminant, Neil E. Peterson, Andrew J. South, Clifton B. Farnsworth, Seshananda Sanjel, Benjamin T. Bikman, Juan A. Arroyo, Paul R. Reynolds Diseases.2024; 12(6): 129. CrossRef - Brick kiln pollution and its impact on health: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Laura Nicolaou, Fiona Sylvies, Isabel Veloso, Katherine Lord, Ram K. Chandyo, Arun K. Sharma, Laxman P. Shrestha, David L. Parker, Steven M. Thygerson, Peter F. DeCarlo, Gurumurthy Ramachandran, William Checkley Environmental Research.2024; 257: 119220. CrossRef - Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding respirable silica exposure and personal protective equipment use among brick kiln workers in Nepal
Chelsea Gaviola, Laura Nicolaou, Arun K Sharma, Ram Chandyo, David Parker, Laxman Shrestha, Santa K Das, Gurumurthy Ramachandran, Steven M Thygerson, Laura Beres, William Checkley Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2024; 81(6): 287. CrossRef - Building blocks of change: The energy, health, and climate co-benefits of more efficient brickmaking in Bangladesh
Nina Brooks, Debashish Biswas, Sameer Maithel, Sonal Kumar, Mohammad Rofi Uddin, Shoeb Ahmed, Moogdho Mahzab, Grant Miller, Mahbubur Rahman, Stephen P. Luby Energy Research & Social Science.2024; 117: 103738. CrossRef - Prevalence and associated factors of respiratory symptoms and illnesses among brick kiln workers in Nepal
Pooja Kumari, Lisasha Poudel, Laxmi Chaudhary, Bishnu Prasad Choulagai Environmental and Occupational Health Practice.2024;[Epub] CrossRef - Respirable dust and crystalline silica concentrations among workers at a brick kiln in Bhaktapur, Nepal
John D. Beard, Scott C. Collingwood, James D. LeCheminant, Neil E. Peterson, Paul R. Reynolds, Juan A. Arroyo, Andrew J. South, Clifton B. Farnsworth, Gerardo Fong, Taylor Cisneros, Mariah Taylor, Seshananda Sanjel, James D. Johnston Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.2024; 21(4): 247. CrossRef - The impact of brick kilns on environment and society: a bibliometric and thematic review
Muhammad Arham Parvez, Irfan Ahmad Rana, Adnan Nawaz, Hafiz Syed Hamid Arshad Environmental Science and Pollution Research.2023; 30(17): 48628. CrossRef - Personal Exposure to Fine Particulate Air Pollution among Brick Workers in Nepal
James D. Johnston, Scott C. Collingwood, James D. LeCheminant, Neil E. Peterson, Paul R. Reynolds, Juan A. Arroyo, Andrew J. South, Clifton B. Farnsworth, Ryan T. Chartier, Lindsey N. Layton, James H. Lu, Marli S. Penrod, Seshananda Sanjel, John D. Beard Atmosphere.2023; 14(12): 1783. CrossRef - Work-related respiratory health conditions among construction workers: a systematic narrative review
Elijah Frimpong Boadu, Sylvester Reuben Okeke, Caleb Boadi, Emmanuel Osei Bonsu, Isaac Yeboah Addo BMJ Open Respiratory Research.2023; 10(1): e001736. CrossRef - Assessment and mapping of total suspended particulate and soil quality around brick kilns and occupational health issues among brick kilns workers in Pakistan
Almas Hamid, Aiman Riaz, Faiza Noor, Iqra Mazhar Environmental Science and Pollution Research.2023; 30(2): 3335. CrossRef - Health consequences of small-scale industrial pollution: Evidence from the brick sector in Bangladesh
Nina Brooks, Debashish Biswas, Raduan Hossin, Alexander Yu, Shampa Saha, Senjuti Saha, Samir K. Saha, Stephen P. Luby World Development.2023; 170: 106318. CrossRef - Air Quality, Pollution and Sustainability Trends in South Asia: A Population-Based Study
Saima Abdul Jabbar, Laila Tul Qadar, Sulaman Ghafoor, Lubna Rasheed, Zouina Sarfraz, Azza Sarfraz, Muzna Sarfraz, Miguel Felix, Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2022; 19(12): 7534. CrossRef - Assessment of obstructive and restrictive patterns of lung function among the workers of brick kilns
Ali Raza, Zulfiqar Ali International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics.2022; 28(4): 2333. CrossRef - Gaseous Air Pollutants and Respirable Crystalline Silica Inside and Outside Homes at Brick Kilns in Bhaktapur, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
John D. Beard, Steven M. Thygerson, Alisandra Olivares, Jaxson E. Tadje, Selah Willis, James D. Johnston International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2022; 19(19): 12431. CrossRef - Chemical Composition of PM2.5 in Wood Fire and LPG Cookstove Homes of Nepali Brick Workers
James D. Johnston, John D. Beard, Emma J. Montague, Seshananda Sanjel, James H. Lu, Haley McBride, Frank X. Weber, Ryan T. Chartier Atmosphere.2021; 12(7): 911. CrossRef - Traditional Brick Making, Environmental and Socio-Economic Impacts: A Case Study of Vhembe District, South Africa
Tolulope E. Aniyikaiye, Joshua N. Edokpayi, John O. Odiyo, Stuart J. Piketh Sustainability.2021; 13(19): 10659. CrossRef - Active case finding for Tuberculosis among migrant brick kiln workers in South India
Vanishree Shriraam, R. Srihari, T. Gayathri, Lakshmi Murali Indian Journal of Tuberculosis.2020; 67(1): 38. CrossRef - Comparison of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Cookstoves and Wood Cooking Fires on PM2.5 Trends in Brick Workers’ Homes in Nepal
James D. Johnston, Megan E. Hawks, Haley B. Johnston, Laurel A. Johnson, John D. Beard International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2020; 17(16): 5681. CrossRef - Implementation of Recycling Cigarette Butts in Lightweight Bricks and a Proposal for Ending the Littering of Cigarette Butts in Our Cities
Abbas Mohajerani, Siu Qun Hui, Cary Shen, James Suntovski, Glen Rodwell, Halenur Kurmus, Marven Hana, Md Tareq Rahman Materials.2020; 13(18): 4023. CrossRef - Air pollutant emissions from sugar mills and brick kilns: impact on environment and public health
A. R. Khan, A. A. Khan, J. Iqbal, A. Majeed, R. M. Imran, M. Abbas, I. Hussain International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology.2019; 16(12): 8607. CrossRef - Air-Quality Assessment of On-Site Brick-Kiln Worker Housing in Bhaktapur, Nepal: Chemical Speciation of Indoor and Outdoor PM2.5 Pollution
Steven M. Thygerson, John D. Beard, Marion J. House, Rilee L. Smith, Hunter C. Burbidge, Kathryn N. Andrus, Frank X. Weber, Ryan Chartier, James D. Johnston International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2019; 16(21): 4114. CrossRef - Occupational Musculoskeletal and Respiratory Illness among Brick Kiln Industry Workers in Bangladesh
AKM Abdul Ahad Biswas, Milton Kumar Saha, Irteja Hasan, Md Faisal, Joy Prokash Caspian Journal of Health Research.2018; 3(3): 80. CrossRef - Concentration profile of elemental and organic carbon and personal exposure to other pollutants from brick kilns in Durango, Mexico
Abraham Ortínez-Alvarez, Oscar Peralta, Harry Alvarez-Ospina, Amparo Martínez-Arroyo, Telma Castro, Víctor H. Páramo, Luis Gerardo Ruiz-Suárez, Jorge Garza, Isabel Saavedra, María de la Luz Espinosa, Andrea De Vizcaya-Ruiz, Arturo Gavilan, Roberto Basaldu Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health.2018; 11(3): 285. CrossRef - Exposure to respirable silica among clay brick workers in Kathmandu valley, Nepal
Seshananda Sanjel, Sanjay N. Khanal, Steven M. Thygerson, William Carter, James D. Johnston, Sunil Kumar Joshi Archives of Environmental & Occupational Health.2018; 73(6): 347. CrossRef
-
74
View
-
0
Download
-
23
Web of Science
-
24
Crossref
|