Pulmonary function tests in sugar factory workers of Western Maharashtra (India)

Health burden of sugarcane burning on agricultural workers and nearby communities

Sugarcane is the most widely cultivated crop in the world, with equatorial developing nations performing most of this agriculture. Burning sugarcane is a common practice to facilitate harvest, producing extremely high volumes of respirable particulate matter in the process. These emissions are known to have deleterious effects on agricultural workers and nearby communities, but the extent of this exposure and potential toxicity remain poorly characterized. As the epidemicof chronic kidney disease of an unknown etiology (CKDu) and its associated mortality continue to increase along with respiratory distress, there is an urgent need to investigate the causes, determine viable interventions to mitigate disease andimprove outcomes for groups experiencing disproportionate impact. The goal of this review is to establish the state of available literature, summarize what is known in terms of human health risk, and provide recommendations for what areas should be prioritized in research.

Inhaled Silica Nanoparticles Causes Chronic Kidney Disease in Rats

INTRODUCTION

Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) released during the burning of sugarcane have been postulated to have a role in chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology. We tested the hypothesis that pristine SiNPs of the size present in sugarcane might cause chronic kidney injury when administered through the lung in rats.

METHODS

We administered 200 nm or 300 nm amorphous SiNPs twice weekly (4 mg/dose) or vehicle by oropharyngeal aspiration for 13 weeks to rats followed by sacrifice after an additional 13 weeks (26 weeks total). Tissues were evaluated for presence of SiNPs and evidence of histologic injury.

RESULTS

Both sizes of SiNPs caused kidney damage, with early tubular injury and inflammation (at week 13) that continued to inflammation and chronic fibrosis at week 26 despite discontinuing the SiNP administration. Both sizes of SiNPs caused local inflammation in the lung and kidney and were detected in the serum and urine at week 13, and the 200 nm particles also localized to the kidney with no evidence of retention of the 300 nm particles. At week 26 there was some clearance of the 200 nm silica from the kidneys, and urinary levels of SiNPs were reduced but still significant in both the 200 and 300 nm exposed rats.

CONCLUSIONS

Inhaled SiNPs causes chronic kidney injury that progresses despite stopping the SiNP administration. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that human exposure to amorphous silica nanoparticles found in burned sugarcane fields could have a participatory role in chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology.

Impaired Pulmonary Lung Functions in Workers Exposed to Bagasse: Is Obesity an Added Risk?

Context:

Effect of obesity and dust exposure on lung functions.

Aim:

To assess the pulmonary functions in asymptomatic, dust-exposed sugarcane factory workers with obesity as an added risk.

Settings and Design:

A cross-sectional study.

Materials and Methods:

The present study was conducted in one of the reputed sugarcane factories in Karnataka. One hundred and fifty asymptomatic male workers working in sugarcane factory were included in the study. Based on exposure to sugarcane dust and body mass index (BMI), subjects were categorized into normal weight (not exposed to sugarcane dust), overweight and obese (not exposed to sugarcane dust), and overweight and obese (exposed to sugarcane dust). Adiposity markers such as waist circumference and hip circumference were measured; waist hip ratio, waist stature ratio, and body fat% were calculated. Lung volumes such as forced vital capacity (FVC in L), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁ in L), forced expiratory flow during 25–75% of expiration (FEF_25–75% in L/s), and FEV₁/FVC%, peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR in L/min) were measured by digital spirometer.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Comparison between groups was done by one-way analysis of variance with post hoc analysis.

Results:

Significant lower values for FEV₁ in obese and PEFR among overweight and obese exposed to dust compared to overweight and obese not exposed to dust.

Conclusions:

We observed significant decrease in FEV₁(L) in obese workers exposed to dust and significant lower PEFR (L/min) in overweight and obese workers exposed to dust, indicative of obstructive pattern of lung disease as a result of occupation-related sugarcane dust exposure in overweight and obese workers in whom already some lung functions are impaired owing to their BMI status, thus indicating that obesity is an added risk.