Personal Exposure of Dairy Workers to Dust, Endotoxin, Muramic Acid, Ergosterol, and Ammonia on Large-Scale Dairies in the High Plains Western United States

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bradford M ; Brooks EJ ; Clark ML ; Davidson ME ; Dooley G ; Keefe TJ ; Magzamen S ; Mehaffy J ; Mitloehner FM ; Poole JA ; Reed S ; Reynolds SJ ; Roman-Muniz N ; Schaeffer J ; Schenker MB
• Description:
  Dairy workers experience a high degree of bioaerosol exposure, composed of an array of biological and chemical constituents, which have been tied to adverse health effects. A better understanding of the variation in the magnitude and composition of exposures by task is needed to inform worker protection strategies. To characterize the levels and types of exposures, 115 dairy workers grouped into three task categories on nine farms in the high plains western United States underwent personal monitoring for inhalable dust, endotoxin, 3-hydroxy fatty acids (3- OHFA), muramic acid, ergosterol, and ammonia over one work shift. Eighty nine percent of dairy workers were exposed to endotoxin at concentrations exceeding the recommended exposure guidelines (adjusted for a long workshift). The proportion of workers with exposures exceeding recommended guidelines was lower for inhalable dust (12%), and ammonia (1%). Ergosterol exposures were only measurable on 28% of samples, primarily among medical workers and feed handlers. Milking parlor workers were exposed to significantly higher inhalable dust, endotoxin, 3-OHFA, ammonia and muramic acid concentrations compared to workers performing other tasks. Development of large modern dairies has successfully made progress in reducing worker exposures and lung disease prevalence. However, exposure to endotoxin, dust and ammonia continues to present a significant risk to worker health on North American dairies, especially for workers in milking parlors. This study was among the first to concurrently evaluate occupational exposure to assayable endotoxin (lipid A), 3-hydroxy fatty acids or 3-OHFA (a chemical measure of cell bound and non-cell-bound endotoxins), muramic acid, ergosterol, and ammonia among workers on western U.S. dairies. There remains a need for cost-effective, culturally acceptable intervention strategies integrated in OHS Risk Management and production systems to further optimize worker health and farm productivity. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Animals Dairy Products Dust Endotoxins Lung Diseases Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  3-hydroxy Fatty Acid Ammonia Author Keywords: Dairy Bioaerosol Bioaerosols Dairy Products Dust Exposure Endotoxin Ergosterol Exposure Assessment Inhalation Lung Disease Muramic Acid Organic Dust Organic Dusts Respiratory Health Task

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• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Colorado ; Nebraska ; OSHA Region 7 ; OSHA Region 8 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  182-193
• Volume:
  15
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050643
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2018 Mar; 15(3):182-193
• Contact Point Address:
  Stephen J. Reynolds Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, 1681 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1681
• Email:
  Stephen.Reynolds@Colostate.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Colorado State University - Ft. Collins
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20030915
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• End Date:
  20270914
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d11fd305cf1ed106d18e2f49e59d2e7c462f0920dcc097f35e18496f0ed80edbb1f4856e61c508fe7e803bed6cb5fd1f31763cd3e87c6acef1f476140a2d96c9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210905/cdc_210905_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 993.52 KB ]