Self-Reported Work Activities, Eye, Nose, and Throat Symptoms, and Respiratory Health Outcomes Among an Industrial Hog Operation Worker Cohort, North Carolina, USA

Details

• Personal Author:
  Coffman VR ; Davis MF ; Diener-West M ; Hall DJ ; Heaney CD ; Love DC ; McCormack M ; Nadimpalli M ; Pisanic N
• Description:
  Introduction: Respiratory disease among industrial hog operation (IHO) workers is well documented; however, it remains unclear whether specific work activities are more harmful and if personal protective equipment (PPE), as used by workers, can reduce adverse health outcomes. Methods: IHO workers (n = 103) completed baseline and up to eight bi-weekly study visits. Workers reported typical (baseline) and transient (bi-weekly) work activities, PPE use, and physical health symptoms. Baseline and longitudinal associations were assessed using generalized logistic and fixed-effects logistic regression models, respectively. Results: At baseline, reports of ever versus never drawing pig blood, applying pesticides, and increasing years worked at any IHO were positively associated with reports of eye, nose, and/or throat irritation. Over time, transient exposures, associated with dustiness in barns, cleaning of barns, and pig contact were associated with increased odds of sneezing, headache, and eye or nose irritation, particularly in the highest categories of exposure. When PPE was used, workers had lower odds of symptoms interfering with sleep (odds ratio [OR]: 0.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01-0.8), and eye or nose irritation (OR: 0.1; 95% CI: 0.02-0.9). Similarly, when they washed their hands eight times or more per shift (median frequency) versus less frequently, the odds of any respiratory symptom were reduced (OR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1-0.8). Conclusions: In this healthy volunteer worker population, increasingly unfavorable IHO activities were associated with self-reported eye, nose, throat, and respiratory health symptoms. Strong protective associations were seen between PPE use and handwashing and the odds of symptoms, warranting further investigation. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Air Pollution, Indoor Animal Husbandry Animals Blood Dust Farmers Insecticides Irritants Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety

  More +
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Industry Agricultural Workers Animal Handlers Animal Husbandry Animal Husbandry Workers Animal Workers Author Keywords: PPE Dusts Hand Washing Health Effects IAQ Indoor Air Indoor Air Quality Occupational Health Practice Personal Protective Equipment Pesticides PPE Respiratory Respiratory Irritants Respiratory System Disorders Safety Measures Safety Practices Work Performance Work Practices

  More +
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; Maryland ; Massachusetts ; North Carolina ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  403-413
• Volume:
  64
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062105
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2021 May; 64(5):403-413
• Contact Point Address:
  Vanessa Coffman, University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health, 1603 W. Taylor St,, Room 978b, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
• Email:
  vcoffm2@uic.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20120701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20150630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2f7f8e9b752496315881c4b5576b5f9ac6ae902ca3613e28b100e07f556b87f6499f0f6dbc6205cc011565caf1766630e2cc7a1b4764fafc28ba7900b024b96f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225418/cdc_225418_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 686.13 KB ]