Respiratory Symptoms and Lung Function Among Workers in Swine Confinement Buildings: A Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Donham KJ ; Merchant, James A. ; Zavala DC
• Description:
  To study possible chronic respiratory problems of people working in swine confinement buildings, a cross-sectional epidemiological study was initiated. A cohort of swine confinement workers was matched for age, sex, and smoking history with nonconfinement swine producers. Pulmonary function studies and a survey questionnaire for chronic respiratory disease symptoms (the American Thoracic Society, Epidemiologic Standardization Project Questionnaire) were performed on both groups. Compared to controls, the confinement workers experienced significantly higher prevalence of chronic bronchitis and wheezing, (odds ratio 7 and 4, respectively). There were, however, no significant differences in baseline pulmonary functions. Based on the high prevalence of chronic respiratory disease symptoms, this study emphasizes an emerging occupational concern in agriculture to the estimated 500,000 persons working in swine confinement operations and the estimated 500,000 additional persons who work in poultry, veal, beef, or dairy confinement operations. It is important to study a representative population of these workers prospectively to determine if a progressive loss in lung function is evident. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Epidemiology Livestock Lung Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Animal Husbandry Workers Cross Sectional Studies Livestock Industry Lung Function Pulmonary Function Respiratory Diseases
• ISSN:
  0003-9896
• 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:
  96-101
• Volume:
  39
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20060671
• Citation:
  Arch Environ Health 1984 Mar-Apr; 39(2):96-101
• Contact Point Address:
  Kelley J. Donham, D.V.M., Institute of Agricultural Medicine and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Oakdale, Iowa 52319
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1984
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa, Oakdale, Iowa
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19790601
• Source Full Name:
  Archives of Environmental Health
• End Date:
  19810531
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e6e7781b24e39c5908b70c340137d0f410b731667e8907397a96f55add5a8c97d837ba29bfa066200b13fbb1091e242192859f707426c3e2a37c7d8bc327b340
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/224513/cdc_224513_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 829.90 KB ]