Experimental human exposure to inhaled grain dust and ammonia: towards a model of concentrated animal feeding operations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kline JN ; O'Shaughnessy PT ; Sigurdarson ST ; Watt JA
• Description:
  BACKGROUND: Ammonia and endotoxin-rich dust are present in high concentrations in swine confinement facilities; exposure to this environment is linked to workers' respiratory problems. We hypothesized that experimental exposure to ammonia and dust would impair pulmonary function, and that these exposures would be synergistic. METHODS: We exposed six normal subjects and eight subjects with mild asthma to ammonia (16-25 ppm) and/or endotoxin-rich grain dust (4 mg/m3). Pulmonary function and exhaled NOx were measured before and after exposure. RESULTS: There was no significant change in pulmonary function in the normal subjects following any of the exposure conditions. Among asthmatics, a significant transient decrease in FEV1 was induced by grain dust, but was not altered by ammonia; increased bronchial hyperreactivity was also noted in this group. CONCLUSION: In a vulnerable population, exposure to grain dust results in transient airflow obstruction. Short-term exposure to ammonia does not increase this response. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Animal Husbandry Animals Dust Inhalation Exposure Irritants Lung Lung Diseases Men Occupational Health Poisoning Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Women

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• Keywords:
  Age-groups Airway Inflammation Animal-husbandry Author Keywords: Asthma Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Diseases Dusts Exposure-levels Exposure-limits Grain-dusts Humans Inhalants Lung-disorders Lung-function Poisons Pulmonary-function Pulmonary-system Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiration Respiratory-irritants Respiratory-system-disorders Swine Confinement Time-weighted-average-exposure

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  345-348
• Volume:
  46
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20040546
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2004 Oct; 46(4):345-348
• Contact Point Address:
  Joel N. Kline, C33GH UIHC, 200 Newton Road, Iowa City, IA 52242
• Email:
  oel-kline@uiowa.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Ammonia (CAS RN 7664-41-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2005
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a4588f7d02791f240559ee896d02aefa16925ba62b3ad939a671c62602451b7cc69f940f04fb0bedac82e03ca29bf1a30efe0849b9ebf77a4474f6161477e58a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/193358/cdc_193358_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 116.33 KB ]