Dominic Coppolo
New York
Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health
One
cause of disability among farmers and other agricultural workers
is respiratory disease. The farm environment is one that exposes
workers to substances that may be damaging to the respiratory
tract. These include:
- dusts,
that can include bacteria, molds and other by-products found
in spoiled plant material, from decaying grain, hay and
silage, that can cause organic dust toxic syndrome and Farmer's
Lung disease;
- livestock
confinement dusts and gases;
- silo
gas and manure storage gases, which can cause serious respiratory
illness and sudden death; and,
- agricultural
chemicals, including insecticides, and anhydrous ammonia.
Because
dangers to the respiratory system exist, a piece of protective
equipment a farmer can use is a respirator. There are many
types of respirators available and it's important to match
the respirator to the job you'll be doing. Be sure to select
a respirator that is certified by the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
There
are two categories of respiratory protection: supplied air
and air purifying respirators. Supplied Air Respirators (ie.
self contained breathing apparatus) provide the person wearing
it with clean, uncontaminated air to breathe. These are used
in dangerous areas such as manure pits and silos. Most farmers
have little use for supplied air respirators because special
training is required to use and maintain them. The most commonly
used respirator for farm work is the air purifying respirator
that removes the contaminants from the air. Types of air purifying
respirators include:
- mechanical
filter respirators that can be used for dusts and mists;
- chemical
cartridge masks that can be used for dusts, mists, fumes,
sprays, and a variety of gases and vapors including pesticides;
- gas
masks that can be used for protection from gases and vapors;
and
- powered
air purifiers that can offer protection from dusts, mists,
fumes, and chemicals.
Different
types of respirators require different amounts of maintenance.
Be sure to check manuals and maintain them carefully.
While
respirators can protect you from many irritants, remember
they will protect you only if used properly and matched to
the contaminate which you will be exposed. Please remember
that atmospheres that are oxygen deficient or pose an immediate
danger to your life should never be entered.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
Dominic
Coppolo, Assistant Research Director, NYCAMH.
This public service announcement was produced by the New York
Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH), One
Atwell Road, Cooperstown, New York 13326 - Ph# (607) 547-6023
or (800) 343-7527 in the northeast. Publication date: 1994.
|