Authors : B. Jaya, A. Sornam, S. Vadivel, M. Geetha
DOI : 10.18231/2394-2126.2018.0069
Volume : 5
Issue : 3
Year : 0
Page No : 295-298
Introduction: Indoor air pollution is present in rural areas due to usage of biomass fuel like wood, dung or crop residues for cooking. The rural women are exposed to the smoke produced by combustion of these materials, which can cause harmful effects to the respiratory system. The present study was done to evaluate the lung functions in women exposed to biomass fuel smoke for chronic period.
Materials and Methods: The case control study included 102 female subjects, divided into two age matched groups of 52 biomass fuel users and 50 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) users. Pulmonary function tests (PFT) namely Forced vital capacity (FVC), Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), Forced expiratory flow (FEF25-75%) and Forced expiratory volume percentage (FEV1 %) were assessed by computerized spirometry. Statistical comparison was done by using the student t-test.’
Results: The percentage predicted value of the lung parameters of the biomass fuel users [FVC (p<0>1 (p<0>25-75% (p<0>1% (p<0> Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that exposure to biomass fuel smoke for chronic period can lead to reduction in lung function. This study also shows the importance of interventions required to improve the standard of living conditions like usage of low smoke fuels.
Keywords: Biomass fuel users, Liquefied petroleum gas users, Computer spirometry, Pulmonary function test.