The Burden of Respiratory Abnormalities Among Workers at Coffee Roasting and Packaging Facilities

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bailey, Rachel L. ; Cox-Ganser, Jean M. ; Cummings, Kristin J. ; Edwards, Nicole T. ; Fechter-Leggett, Ethan D. ; Fedan, Kathleen B. ; Harvey, R. Reid ; Nett, Randall J. ; Virji, M. Abbas
• Description:
  Introduction: Respiratory hazards in the coffee roasting and packaging industry can include asthmagens such as green coffee bean and other dust and alpha-diketones such as diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione that can occur naturally from roasting coffee or artificially from addition of flavoring to coffee. We sought to describe the burden of respiratory abnormalities among workers at 17 coffee roasting and packaging facilities. Methods: We completed medical surveys at 17 coffee roasting and packaging facilities that included interviewer-administered questionnaires and pulmonary function testing. We summarized work-related symptoms, diagnoses, and spirometry testing results among all participants. We compared health outcomes between participants who worked near flavoring and who did not. Results: Participants most commonly reported nose and eye symptoms, and wheeze, with a work-related pattern for some. Symptoms and pulmonary function tests were consistent with work-related asthma in some participants. About 5% of workers had abnormal spirometry and most improved after bronchodilator. Health outcomes were similar between employees who worked near flavoring and who did not, except employees who worked near flavoring reported more chronic bronchitis and ever receiving a diagnosis of asthma than those who did not work near flavoring. Conclusion: The symptoms and patterns likely represent overlapping health effects of different respiratory hazards, including green coffee bean and other dust that can contribute to work-related asthma, and diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione that can contribute to obliterative bronchiolitis. Healthcare providers and occupational health and safety practitioners should be aware that workers at coffee roasting and packaging facilities are potentially at risk for occupational lung diseases. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asthma Asthma, Occupational Coffee Diacetyl Dust Flavoring Agents Lung Diseases Occupational Health Respiratory Function Tests Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety

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• Keywords:
  2,3-pentanedione Author Keywords: Coffee Roasting And Packaging Coffee Dust Coffee Workers Dusts Flavoring Flavorings Lung Disease Obliterative Bronchiolitis Occupational Asthma Respiratory Function Respiratory System Disorders Spirometry

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• ISSN:
  2296-2565
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Washington ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  5
• Volume:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058914
• Citation:
  Front Public Health 2020 Jan; 8:5
• Contact Point Address:
  R. Reid Harvey, Respiratory Health Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morgantown, WV
• Email:
  rharvey@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  2,3-Pentanedione (CAS RN 600-14-6) ; Butanedione (CAS RN 431-03-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Frontiers in Public Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:777f96b07f3410c24507de1cfc8280640380314909fc912a0a29cee07854cb883624d57aae3ed7326248350accdb8da845816ee13c512269167dc53c37cf1083
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223273/cdc_223273_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 489.44 KB ]