Effects of Air Pollution on Pulmonary Function: A study in Traffic Policemen in Chiang Mai 2008

Abstract

       Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) is an important disease worldwide especially in developing countries and the incidence has increased particularly in large city. Smoking and air pollution are the important causes of COPD. Total suspended particulate matters in the polluted air are documented to be harmful to human health particularly the lung, where the mineral dusts are deposited. The traffic policemen who work for several hours a day on the road have the highest risk of exposure to the polluted air. The study was done on June 2008 during the annual health check up of the traffic policemen. One hundred and eighty-nine traffic policemen, age 26-60 years, were enrolled in this study. Twelve (6.3%) of them had small airways disease which are the early abnormality before respiratory symptoms or chest radiograph abnormality was detected. Seven of twelve policemen were non-smokers. The most likely cause of abnormal pulmonary function tests in those traffic policemen who are non-smoker was chronic mineral dust inhalation.