CYTOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF SPUTUM SMEARS IN CASSAVA FLOUR AND STICKY DOUGH WORKERS OCCUPATIONALLY EXPOSED TO WOOD SMOKE

Garri (cassava flour) and Fufu (sticky dough) are popular delicacies in Nigeria and they are made by boiling and frying fermented cassava in a pan over an open flame with wood fuel. The smoke released from the wood during this process is harmful to the health and it contains harmful substances which may contribute to tumorigenesis, particularly in the respiratory tract. This present study was undertaken to determine the effects of frequent exposure to wood smoke on the cellular morphology of the respiratory system. This is a cross-sectional study with laboratory analysis. About 100 subjects were recruited for this study, of which 70 were sticky dough and cassava flour processing workers and 30 were healthy control subjects who have not been exposed to wood smoke for at least 10 years. Early morning sputum sample was collected from each subject into a sterile universal bottle for laboratory analysis. The samples were smeared on glass slides, fixed in 95% alcohol and stained with haematoxylin and eosin as well as Papanicolaou stain. The cell morphology of the sputum samples was then examined under the microscope and photomicrographs were taken. Cytomorphological features observed in the sputum smears of the test group revealed infiltrates of inflammatory cells ((57.14) %), binucleated squamous cells (21.43%), pyknotic cells (11.43%), increased nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio (48.66%), cytoplasmic granulation (31.43%) and atypical cells (14.29). This study revealed that there is an association between wood smoke exposure and cytomorphological changes in the respiratory cells of sticky dough and cassava flour processing workers in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria.