Morphological and Physiological Study of Textile Industrial Workers of Utter Pradesh

This paper deals with the study conducted to assess changes in lung functions and airway reactivity resulting from exposure to textile dust. Subjects comprise the control group (non-workers) and the test group (workers) of the same ecological condition (industrial environment). Effects of dust were seen on both anthropological and physiological variables. Effects of dust were categorised based on the duration of exposure to dust, concentration of dust, socioeconomic factors and lifestyles. Three-hundred workers of three different sectors (cotton, wool/synthetic and silk) of the textile industry worked in a textile unit containing eight sub-working sectors. The pattern of disease incidence in different production centres of the textile industry is grossly dissimilar. As the results suggest exposure to textile dust is responsible for acute and consistent decrease in lung function and a slight increase in airway reactivity.