Open AccessRespiratory health of brickworkers in Cape Town, South Africa. Background, aims and dust exposure determinations.
Author(s) -
Myers Je,
Peter Lewis,
William Andrew Hofmeyr
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of work, environment and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.621
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1795-990X
pISSN - 0355-3140
DOI - 10.5271/sjweh.1866
Subject(s) - cape , environmental health , lung function , mineral dust , categorical variable , pulmonary function testing , geography , environmental science , medicine , meteorology , aerosol , lung , statistics , mathematics , archaeology
The respiratory health and work environment of 575 brickworkers in five brickworks in Cape Town, South Africa, were investigated by means of a questionnaire, a physical examination, pulmonary function testing, chest radiography, and dust measurements. This study presents the background, aims, and methods of the determining dust exposure assignments. The mean concentrations of respirable dust and total dust were 2.22 and 15.16 mg/m3, respectively, with a mean free-silica percentage of 2.1%. Subjective and objective, as well as categorical and continuous, dust indicators were constructed for subsequent analyses, together with findings from the health survey, which are reported elsewhere.