Exposure of farmers to dust on private farms of various production profiles.

In the light of studies of dustiness in agriculture conducted in Poland and abroad, which deal exclusively with dust risk while performing selected occupations, the results presented in this article are a subsequent attempt to recognize annual exposure to dust at workplaces in agriculture. This recognition concerns the workplace of private farmers--typical of Polish agriculture--on family farms of various profiles of production. The study covered 10 selected farms: four animal breeding farms, four specialised cultivation farms, and two traditional mixed-production farms comprising animal breeding and plant cultivation. The results of the study showed an unequal distribution of the working time load and exposure to dust among the farmers examined during the whole year. The monthly working time limit ranged from 53.6-208.8% of the legal working time. The values of the mean weighted monthly concentrations of total dust ranged within 1.2-33.9 mg x m(-3), and those of respirable dust - 0.3-4.0 mg x m(-3), the highest values being observed in August and September. Mean weighted monthly concentrations describing an average level of farmers' exposure to total dust (7.7-21.9 mg x m(-3)), together with the confidence intervals, remain above the occupational exposure limit (4.0 mg x m(-3)), which is equivalent to hazardous conditions. In the case of respirable dust the results obtained show allowable conditions. Despite this, the dusty working conditions of the farmers in the study should be regarded as hazardous, due to the high level of exposure to total dust observed and potentially high contents of pathogenic components. The highest level of exposure was noted on farms engaged in potato production and marketing, followed by traditional farms carrying out mixed production, while the lowest level of exposure was observed on farms engaged in dairy cattle breeding.

Exposure of female farmers to dust on family farms.

Studies of dust on farms conducted to date, both in Poland and abroad, concern only health risk due to dust while performing selected occupations. The present study is a subsequent attempt to determine the year-round exposure to dust at workplaces in agriculture, and covers the workplace of a private farmer which is typical of Polish agriculture: a female farmer who is running a family farm together with her husband. Studies conducted on 10 mixed production family farms showed that women actively participate in farm activities. The occupations performed by women focus around the household - mainly the care of animals; whereas their field work consists primarily of manual jobs associated with crop cultivation, as well as auxiliary activities during harvest. Although the level of exposure to dust determined for female farmers remains statistically within the range of allowable conditions, this factor should be considered as an important health risk due to its high concentrations and pathogenic components.

Exposure to dust among agricultural workers.

The authors present results of studies of occupational exposure to dust in agriculture, conducted for the first time from the aspect of work site. Two work sites, typical of Polish agriculture, were considered: a tractor driver on a large state owned farm and a farmer on a private family farm. The studies covered all occupational activities performed within the annual work cycle. The results of the studies showed that the working conditions in agriculture were hazardous and exposure to dust was of a changeable character. This is due to the varied levels of dustiness according to the type of occupation and unequal distribution of working time.

[Biological effect of wood dust]. / Biologiczne dzialanie pylu drzewnego.

The biological effect of exposure to wood dust depends on its composition and the content of microorganisms which are an inherent element of the dust. The irritant and allergic effects of wood dust have been recognised for a long time. The allergic effect is caused by the wood dust of subtropical trees, e.g. western red cedar (Thuja plicata), redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), obeche (Triplochiton scleroxylon), cocabolla (Dalbergia retusa) and others. Trees growing in the European climate such as: larch (Larix), walnut (Juglans regia), oak (Quercus), beech (Fagus), pine (Pinus) cause a little less pronounced allergic effect. Occupational exposure to irritative or allergic wood dust may lead to bronchial asthma, rhinitis, alveolitis allergica, DDTS (Organic dust toxic syndrome), bronchitis, allergic dermatitis, conjunctivitis. An increased risk of adenocarcinoma of the sinonasal cavity is an important and serious problem associated with occupational exposure to wood dust. Adenocarcinoma constitutes about half of the total number of cancers induced by wood dust. An increased incidence of the squamous cell cancers can also be observed. The highest risk of cancer applies to workers of the furniture industry, particularly those dealing with machine wood processing, cabinet making and carpentry. The cancer of the upper respiratory tract develops after exposure to many kinds of wood dust. However, the wood dust of oak and beech seems to be most carcinogenic. It is assumed that exposure to wood dust can cause an increased incidence of other cancers, especially lung cancer and Hodgkin's disease. The adverse effects of microorganisms, mainly mould fungi and their metabolic products are manifested by alveolitis allergica and ODTS. These microorganisms can induce aspergillomycosis, bronchial asthma, rhinitis and allergic dermatitis.