Three out of four farmers may suffer health problems associated with exposure to grain dust, according to a study by the Institute of Agricultural Rural and Environmental Health at the University of Saskatchewan.
The institute said human activity in closed environments, such as grain bins, increases a farmer’s exposure to moulds that cause health problems. Up to 75 percent of the cases in the study developed symptoms after extreme exposure to grain dust.
Immediate symptoms of grain dust exposure include allergies, skin irritation, poor appetite, headaches and vomiting.
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Long-term effects include emphysema, chronic bronchitis, lung fibrosis, dermatitis, lung and intestinal cancer, farmer’s lung disease, organic dust toxic syndrome and asthma.
A different survey compared respiratory problems experienced by non-farmers and farmers in Saskatchewan. Although this study does not specifically name grain dust as the prime culprit in respiratory disease, it does indicate that farmers experience far more of these health problems.
- Thirty-three percent of farmers experience shortness of breath, compared to 18 percent of non-farmers.
- Twenty-seven percent of farmers experience wheezing, compared to 10 percent of non-farmers.
- Fifteen percent of farmers experience morning phlegm problems compared to nine percent of non-farmers.
- Eleven percent of farmers experience chronic phlegm, compared to eight percent of non-farmers.
Other dangers
Aside from illness, farmers face two other significant health concerns when working in grain bins:
- Vision – Surrounded by a blinding fog of dust, it’s all too easy for even the experienced producer to become caught in an auger or drag auger.
- Heat – Heat stroke and heat exhaustion can be triggered by working in even moderate temperatures. The danger rises with the temperature.
That danger is compounded by the “hard working man” attitude some young farmers assume when challenged by a difficult task. Working in grains bins should be more a matter of brains than brawn.
