This cross-sectional study was conducted in a foundry factory to assess the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and occupational asthma in foundry workers. Physical examination, spirometric evaluation, chest radiograph, and a questionnaire related to respiratory symptoms were performed. Monitoring of peak expiratory flow rates, spirometric reversibility test, and high-resolution computed tomographies were performed for the participants having respiratory symptoms and/or impaired respiratory function test. A total of 347 participants including 286 workers from production department and 61 subjects who worked in nonproduction departments were enrolled in this study. It is found that phlegm ( : 71, 20.46%) and cough ( : 52, 14.98%) were the most frequent symptoms. The other symptoms were breathlessness ( : 28, 8.06%), chest tightness ( : 14, 4.03%), and wheezing ( : 7, 2.01%) . The prevalence of occupational asthma was found to be more frequent among the subjects who worked in the production department ( : 48, 16.78% ) than the other persons who worked in the nonproduction department ( : 3, 4.91%) by chi-square test ( : 0.001). To prevent hazardous respiratory effects of the foundry production, an early diagnosis of occupational asthma is very important. Cessation of cigarette smoking and using of protective masks during the working time should be encouraged. 1. Introduction The prevalence of occupational diseases shows the quality of working conditions and health of working environment. Respiratory diseases are common entities in occupational industries, because the lungs are the route of entry for noxious particles and gases. These agents can be inhaled in the form of fibers or dusts. The development of occupational respiratory disease is dependent on several factors including the chemical nature and physical state of the inhaled substance, the size and concentration of the dust particles, the duration of exposure, and individual susceptibility [1]. Respiratory irritants represent a major cause of occupational obstructive airway diseases related to irritative agents causing occupational asthma. Work-related or occupational asthma is defined as a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways with recurrent episodes of respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, dyspnea, shortness of breath at rest, and reversible airflow limitations caused by a particular occupational environment. The foundry workers are potentially exposed to a number of noxious particles and gases including asbestos, silica, diphenylmethane diisocyanate, polycyclic
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