Evaluating Exposure Variance of Inhalable Agricultural Dust Among Dairy Farm Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hornick M ; Nonnenmann M
• Description:
  Objectives: The aim of this study was to: 1. Determine if there is a significant difference in the mean concentrations of inhalable dust samples collected using paired Button samplers on opposite shoulders of each subject; 2. Determine if there is significant within-worker exposure variance of inhalable agricultural dust concentrations among dairy farm workers by using repeat exposure measures, and 3. Determine how much variance of inhalable agricultural dust concentrations can be explained by temperature and relative humidity. Methods: This was a field-based study of inhalable dust exposure among individuals working as milkers or pushers on dairy farms in the Midwestern U.S. A total of 62 dairy farm workers on nine farms participated in this study, and 18 of these workers participated in repeat measurements. Two personal breathing zone samples were collected continuously from each worker during one work shift using Button Aerosol Samplers, amounting to 160 inhalable dust measurements. The filters were analyzed gravimetrically and the time-weighted average (TWA) of inhalable airborne dust exposure was calculated for each subject and reported in mg/m3. Statistical analyses were used to examine exposure variance. Results: The results of the statistical analyses did not indicate any significant differences in exposure variances between paired sampler groups, with p-values of 0.793, 0.617, and 0.619. A repeat measures ANOVA analysis of within-worker variance found no significant differences, with p-values of 0.702 and 0.744 for sampler location and sampling day, respectively. Results of simple linear regression analyses suggested that inhalable dust concentrations are not influenced by temperature or relative humidity. Conclusions: Analyses of the study results indicate that exposure to inhalable agricultural dust does not vary significantly among dairy farm workers. These results indicate that sampling a portion of the dairy farm worker population can provide a precise estimate of exposure to inhalable agricultural dust of the general dairy farm worker population. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Dairy Products Dust Environmental Monitoring Farmers Lung Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Air Sampling Breathing Zone Dairy Products Farm Workers Inhalation Organic Dusts Pulmonary Effects
• Publisher:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056521
• Citation:
  AIHce 2013: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 18-23, 2013, Montreal, Quebec. Falls Church, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2013 May; :201
• CAS Registry Number:
  Nitric oxide (CAS RN 10102-43-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa - Iowa City
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20100801
• Source Full Name:
  AIHce 2013: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 18-23, 2013, Montreal, Quebec
• End Date:
  20130731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d39a20b68de78793a135ecd713f22c9c8425e06bb8210a176ccc9f4a0b2248aabeadbd9c1a761dcf14cc1201b3c321a6492764f32ef7e255834f740eeaf0412d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214117/cdc_214117_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 913.01 KB ]