Epidemiological Study on Spray Paint Workers

Abstract

Spray paint is an aerosol product designed to be dispensed as a fine mist. Compared to conventional brush methods of painting, spray painting is faster and provides a more uniform application. While industrial spray painting relies on special air compressors that break the paint particles into a fine mist, commercial spray paints are self-contained aerosol cans that use liquefied gasses to atomize the paint. The 72 workers interviewed were males and were from Thrissur district, Kerala state, India. The 72 % had more than 10 years of exposure at the time of interview. BMI study shows that majority of them were within the desirable limit. Thirty six percentages were alcoholics and 22% smokers. Many workers reported symptoms like irritant to skin/eyes/nose (39 %), head ache (33 %), fatigueness/ tiredness (31 %), persistent cough (28%), breathlessness during work (14%), dizziness (14%), burns to skin or eyes (14%) and Wheezing (11%). The study suggests that the workers in spray paint industry are at the risk of developing a lot of occupational health issues and proper precautions to be taken