THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The first Occupational Lung Disease Research Centre in the state will come up at the TD Medical College, Alappuzha. Incidentally, the move to set up the centre at the department of pulmonary medicine of the Medical College comes in the wake of various study reports which found high incidence of lung problems among coir workers and prawn peelers in the district.
It is expected to conduct population-based study to assess the real magnitude of this major public health issue mainly plaguing those belonging to the weaker sections of society. “It could well be the nation’s first. But for sure, it’s a first-of-its-kind in the state and undertaking a study of this magnitude has never been done before. Occupational lung diseases are a broad group of conditions caused by the inhalation of dust, chemicals, or proteins and is a major public health issue worldwide with considerable morbidity and mortality,” said a health official.
The government while giving the nod for establishing the centre had mainly considered a proposal submitted by P Venugopal and P S Shajahan of pulmonary medicine department, according to the official.
An excerpt of the proposal says “Lung diseases like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial lung disease, especially hypersensitivity pneumonitis are increasingly seen among those working in traditional sectors like coir and prawn peeling in the district.
“A pilot study conducted among coir workers revealed that more than 35 per cent of them suffered from nasobronchial allergy. Small airway obstruction is noticed in more than 65 per cent of patients. Reduced pulmonary function is directly proportional to the duration of work. Prawn peeling work is also significantly associated with occupational lung disease,” it further says.
It had been pointed out in the proposal that if the centre were to be established, prevalence of various occupational lung diseases among coir workers and those engaged in prawn peeling in Alappuzha could be found out.
Besides shedding light on the association between socio-demographic factors, lifestyle habits, duration and type of work and the occurrence of occupational lung diseases, it can help pinpoint the likely trigger for the condition.
For this, biochemistry, microbiology and toxicology laboratories under different government departments and scientific bodies could also be used. A source said it was a year ago that the fifth senate meeting of the Kerala University of Health Sciences decided to request the government to set up an Occupational Lung Disease Research Centre at Alappuzha. Then in June, the Directorate of Medical Education forwarded the proposal submitted by Venugopal and Shajahan. But considering the financial constraints, the health department directed the pulmonary medicine department to deploy its staff and utilise own infrastructure for the centre.
It is learnt that the help of the central government and international agencies like the World Health Organisation and International Labour Organisation might be sought for running the centre’s operations in the future.