Prepared by Jill
Shelley and Michael Dennis
Kansas State University Research and Extension
On a
warm Kansas spring day Trent Hill uncapped his concrete silo
and began feeding the silage to his cattle. Removing the silage
created large clouds of dusts. About eight hours later the
farmer experienced flu-like symptoms -- coughing, fever, chills,
muscle pain and general discomfort. On the same day a nearby
neighbor broke open about two dozen bales of dusty hay inside
his dairy barn. About six hours later he experienced severe
flu-like symptoms.
Even
though these two farmers both breathed in moldy dusts and
had flu-like symptoms, they did not have the same illness.
Hill had a toxic reaction known as Organic Dust Toxic Syndrome.
The symptoms completely disappeared in a few days and there
were no lasting effects. His neighbor, because he had become
sensitized to molds, had Farmers Lung. Unless he avoids moldy
dusts, particularly those from moldy hay, he risks developing
permanent lung damage.
Other
potential sources of dust particles include, grain handling,
feed handling and processing and livestock confinement units.
According to Al Heber, an agricultural engineer who specializes
in air quality control, the effects of dust on worker health
are dependent upon the number, size and composition of dust
particles.
During
a study conducted for the National Pork Producers Council
Heber found swine dusts caused delayed fever, chills and muscle
aches and pains in people exposed to excessive amounts of
organic dusts. "One out of 10 agriculture workers experience
these symptoms, but most of them treat it as the flu," Heber
said.
Heber
recommends the following to help air quality . . . especially
for swine producers.
- Increase
ventilation airflow. Consider ventilation rates to remove
particles without wasting heat. In heated buildings for
smaller pigs, air-to-air heat exchangers may increase the
minimum winter ventilation rate without higher energy bills.
- Improve
air circulation. Make sure that the distribution inlets
are managed and operated properly to avoid dead spots.
- Use
feed additives. Adding tallow or soybean oil to swine finishing
feed to reduce its dustiness makes good sense.
- Keep
the facilities clean. Sweep or power wash occasionally to
remove the buildup of dry material on the floor and other
surfaces.
- Isolate
your lungs from dust with a mask appropriate for the job
you are doing. Make sure the mask is comfortable and easy
to maintain but does not restrict breathing.
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
This
document is extracted from
MF-1085
'Health Concerns in Agriculture': A tabloid published by Extension
Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan,
Kansas. Publication date: October 1993.
Prepared
by Jill Shelley and Michael Dennis, Educational Materials
Specialist, Cooperative Extension, Kansas State University,
Manhattan, Kansas.
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