Chronic bronchitis among fishermen in exposed to firewood smoke

BackgroundBiomass is heavily depended on for domestic energy use by people in developing countries. These materials are typically burnt in simple stoves and produce a lot of smoke. Exposure to this indoor air pollution has been linked to a number of respiratory disorders. This study aimed to assess some long term effects exposure to indoor air pollution among fishermen.MethodsA survey was conducted in a fishing community in Nigeria among 337 fishermen exposed to indoor air pollution from burning firewood and 345 matched controls. Exposure was determined by the product of the average daily duration of time spent close to the fire and the number of years (Hour-years). A modified BMRC questionnaire was used to obtain information on respiratory symptoms and spirometry was performed on the participants.ResultsThe frequency of chronic respiratory symptoms was significantly higher among the exposed fishermen compared with the control subjects. Chronic bronchitis was significantly associated with an obstructive ventilatory pattern. Logistic regression analysis showed an increased risk for chronic bronchitis among exposed fishermen (OR 8.7; 95% CI 4.7-16.3, p