Health hazards related to wood dust in modern industries have been well documented in developed countries in Western Europe and USA. Exposures are documented using sophisticated equipment. Few studies have been done assessing exposure to wood dust industries qualitatively. This study assessed the extent of occupational exposure, self- protection and perceived respiratory problems among workers exposed to wood dust.
Structured questionnaire was administered to 214 workers in 108 small-scale industries in Dar es Salaam. Exposure to wood dust was qualitatively assessed based on each worker's daily tasks.
Heavy exposure to wood dust was noted in 71.5% of the workers. Only a few workers (6.5%) used rather poorly designed cloth masks while the rest were basically unprotected. Nearly 52% of all workers had a respiratory symptom. Prevalence of respiratory symptoms were found to be statistically associated with the degree of exposure to wood dust (p< 0.01).Workers in small-scale industries have a high likelihood of increased respiratory symptoms.
