Abstract

Background: Aerosol inhalation has been shown to have deleterious effects on the respiratory system. Seafarers those who are working on the upper deck of the ship are continuously exposed to sea salt aerosol. Performing spirometry can detect and quantify respiratory system abnormalities by the use of various parameters of pulmonary function tests.
Objective: To assess the effect of chronic exposure and inhalation of sea salt aerosol on pulmonary functions in seafarers.
Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in 40 nonsmoking, healthy seafarers aged between 30 and 40 years who were working in the top deck of a ship for more than 10 years. Pulmonary functions such as forced expiratory volume (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC, peak expiratory flow (PEF), and maximum midexpiratory flow (FEF 25%–75%) were assessed. Data were analyzed by Student’s t test using SPSS 17.0, and p value <0.05 was considered significant.
Results: No significant changes were observed between the control and seafarers in all the parameters studied: FVC (p = 0.06), FEV1 (p = 0.39), FEV1/FVC (p = 0.06), PEF (p = 0.33), and FEF 25%–75% (p = 0.14). Conclusion: No significant change was noticed in the pulmonary functions in the seafarers. They seem to be quite normal compared with the control individuals. The reason for this may be because inhalation of the sea salt aerosol containing sodium chloride would have aided in the stabilizing of the alveoli.