BACKGROUND: Quartz stone grinders are one such group of workers who are exposed to @entity3440 and thereby at risk of developing @entity5636 . However due to increased campaigning against @entity5636 the scenario has changed. OBJECTIVES: To compare the respiratory morbidities among the present quartz stone workers and the ex-quartz stone workers who have left the job. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study included, 134 ex-workers and 182 current workers of quartz grinding units. All these subjects were subjected to chest radiography and pulmonary function tests. RESULTS: For 134 ex-workers, the mean age was 31.77    9.99 years and the mean duration of exposure was found to be 2.74    1.65 years while for the present workers, the mean age was 26.74   7.12 years while the mean duration of exposure was 1.36    2.68 years. The study revealed @entity5636 in 24 (17.9%), radiological suspected @entity378 in 17 (12.7%) and silico- @entity378 in 33 (24.7%) ex-workers while in present workers, radiological suspected @entity378 in 10 (5.5%) subjects and @entity5636 grade 1/1 in one subject were found. Among the ex-workers, 14 (10.4%) had a combined type of @entity73 while 8 (6.0%) and 28 (20.9%) were having restrictive and obstructive type of @entity358 , respectively. Among the present workers, pulmonary function testing revealed the combined @entity73 in 1 (0.5%), restrictive type in 13 (7.1%), and obstructive @entity73 in 17 (9.2%) subjects. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of @entity1576 in ex-workers as compared to current workers can be attributed to the out-of-the-job healthy workers' effect.

Comparison of XXXX between present and ex-workers of quartz crushing units: Healthy workers' effect.

@entity73 :: ('MESH:D003072', 'Disease') :: ['type of functional impairment', 'pulmonary function impairment'] @entity5636 :: ('MESH:D012829', 'Disease') :: ['silicosis'] @entity358 :: ('MESH:D008171', 'Disease') :: ['pulmonary impairments'] @entity1576 :: ('MESH:D012131', 'Disease') :: ['respiratory morbidity'] @entity3440 :: ('MESH:D012822', 'Chemical') :: ['silica'] @entity378 :: ('MESH:D014376', 'Disease') :: ['tuberculosis']
@entity1576 :: (MESH:D012131,Disease) :: ['respiratory morbidity']
