Objective: To determine
the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and make an awareness about the harmful
effects of ores dust in the Artisanal miner in the city of Lubumbashi, Katanga
province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Method: In total, 104
artisanal miners have been recruited in an exhaustive manner with 122 administrative officers
in the town hall of Lubumbashi, responsible for collecting the taxes in the
Stations of the bus as the control group. Respiratory symptoms were collected
using a standardized questionnaire. To determine the association between the
characteristics of the miners and respiratory symptoms reported, a multi-analysis combined with the
test of logistic regression has been privileged. Results: The prevalence of the
respiratory symptoms was markedly higher in the artisanal diggers, as compared
with the group that controls: wheezing (37.5% vs. 7.4%), shortness breathing after effort (26.9% vs. 3.3%), cough (29.8%
vs.
12.3%), asthma (24% vs. 1.6%),
rhinitis (20.2% vs.
14.8%), conjunctivitis (16.3% vs. 9.8%), and eczema (34.6% vs. 2.5%). After adjusting
for age and education level, digger as occupation was strongly associated with
a higher risk of developing respiratory and skin problems (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The study revealed that artisanal miner’s
professions, as practiced in Lubumbashi, without any protection against dust,
have a negative impact on the
respiratory health. It proves to be very important to organize a teaching
specialized in Occupational Medicine that can train some physicians with an
established expertise having to answer if it is needed to be enormous in qualified
staff in this area considered at respiratory risk.
Cite this paper
Ngombe, L. K. , Ngatu, N. R. , Christophe, N. M. , Ilunga, B. K. , Okitotsho, S. W. , Sakatolo, J. K. , Danuser, B. and Numbi, O. L. (2016). Respiratory Health of Artisanal Miner of Lwisha in Katanga/DR Congo. Open Access Library Journal, 3, e3233. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1103233.
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