Occupational Diseases and Health Awareness through Multimedia

Kerala is a major coconut producing state of India. Kerala coast is strikingly bordered by a string of backwaters, generally running parallel to the shoreline. The backwaters of Kerala provide water front for several major and small scale industries, amongst which coir retting industry ranks first. It is an important sector as far as economy of Kerala is concerned. Most of the coir workers are from socially and economically backward classes. The industry provides direct employment to more than 3.5 lakhs workers, majority of whom are female, who find this as the their principal source of income. The raw material for the industry is obtained by immersing the husk in water for 8-9 months. Here, mainly conventional methods of retting are practiced. Retting of husk presents unique and extremely serious problems along the coastal belt, changing the hydro ecology of the water body. Besides the ecological degradation caused by the liberation of organic wastes during the retting process, the unhygienic conditions prevailing around the area results in health hazard problems to the people engaged in this cottage industry. In the retting sites, aquatic pollution is caused due to organic wastes like lignin, tannin and polyphenols. Low pH and oxygen content, high BOD, chloride and alkalinity leads to anoxic condition, adversely affecting the flora and fauna. Air pollution also prevails in these areas due to the release of hydrogen sulphide, methane and carbon dioxide. Common diseases likely to occur among the people are filariasis, eye diseases, skin diseases, oedema of lungs and headache due to the inhalation of poisonous gases. It was found that the unhygienic conditions prevailing around the area results in health hazard problems to the people engaged in this cottage industry. The most striking aspect of the retting industry is that the workers in the retting site spend almost the whole day in the yard and find hardly any time to spare for other educational and cultural activities. The wages given to them are very low compared to their hard work. As a natural consequence their living conditions are never improved. Their financial and epidemiological conditions remain to be very low. The area around the retting yards is inhabited mainly by the community engaged in coir industry. Hence, job related diseases are likely to occur among these people. Majority of the women are engaged in retting industry, irrespective of their age. Since they are spending almost the whole day in the unhygienic conditions prevailing in the yard they are at a high risk of developing occupational diseases. Their lack of knowledge about health and hygiene serves as the prime reason for the contagious diseases. From review of related studies it was revealed that the coir retting industry is an activity that is intricately interwoven with the social and economic structure. Field survey results indicated that 57 % of the sample suffered from job-oriented disease like skin disease, blindness, headache, back bone pains and respiratory disease. Rotted husk release more organic pollutants and they highly affect the water quality parameters. Therefore, it is a difficult task to save these women from these occupational hazards unless some new affordable technique is introduced. Majority of the households (70 %) fall within a low socio-economic status with a deepening poverty background depicted by low educational achievement and occupational status. Hence there arises the need to make them aware of the various health hazards, its causes and effects. The search for a strategy which enables to give them awareness regarding health education results in an awareness program through multimedia. With the financial support of University Grants Commission, New Delhi, academic assistance of Sree Narayana Training College, Nedunganda and collaboration with local self-governance bodies, health centers and agencies like Coirfed, awareness campaigns were provided to the target group of coir retting industry with the help of the developed multimedia package on Health awareness of Occupational Diseases. This book throws light on the empowerment of women with health awareness of occupational diseases through multimedia.