Background: Globally, an estimated 2.34 million people die from work-related accidents andrndiseases annually and 6,300 people die daily (ILO, 2013). Cobblestone work is becoming a goodrnjob opportunity in Ethiopia but it exposes workers to dust during excavating, cutting, drilling,rnhandling, loading, transporting, chiseling and paving activities. Stone dust exposure has effectrnon the cardio-respiratory, liver and kidney functions with its associated symptoms as it containsrnmetals and other substances risky for human health. Dust exposure is also associated withrnincreased BP, reduced HR variability, increased HR, endothelial dysfunction and myocardialrncoronary heart disease. It induces pulmonary and systemic inflammation,acceleratingrnatherosclerosis and altering cardiac autonomic function.rnObjectives: The present study was designed to determine the prevalence and types of cardio-rnrespiratory problems associated with effect of exposure to cobblestone dust. It was also intended torninvestigate acute effects of cobblestone dust exposure on cardiopulmonary function in addition tornassessing the awareness of cobblestone workers about dust effect on health and practice ofrnPPDs.rnMaterials and Methods: Comparative cross-sectional study and systematic random samplingrnwas applied selecting 155 (82 chiseling and 73 quarry) workers who were 18-35 yrs old andrnexposed for one and above years. Twenty three of them were female chiseling workers. Onernhundred fifty one matched controls (128 males,23 females) were selected from AAU summerrnnon- smoking normal students within the same age range. Acute exposure standard wasrnestablished on an eight-hour exposure time frame, during work of normal intensity and datarnwere collected at the early morning and after exposure for about 8-10 hours. Lung functionrnindices, HR, %SPO2 and ABP were taken before and after exposure. The mean ages, height,rnweight and sex proportion were matching between the two groups. Questionnaire, digitalrnspirometer, pulse oximeter, sphygmomanometer, digital balance and measuring tape were usedrnfor data collection.rnResults: The study showed higher prevalence of cardio-respiratory symptoms and changes inrncardiopulmonary function indices. The mean values and percent predicted mean values of lungrnfunctions (FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, PEFR, PIFR and FEF25-75) were significantly reduced (p