Preventing Farmer's Lung: Know the risks and how to reduce them
Did you know the air on the farm could be hazardous? Meet Farmer’s Lung: an occupational hazard that leaves behind irreversible lung damage. Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself and those around you.
What is Farmer’s Lung?
Farmer’s Lung is an allergic disease usually caused by inhaling bacteria, mouldy or allergy-causing dust found in some agricultural operations. Here are a few real-life examples of its impact:
- A 38 year-old man was feeding out wrapped bales of hay in the winter. The man stuffed the waste plastic wrap behind the seat in the cab of the tractor as he fed the bales. The wrapper had not properly sealed the plastic resulting in mould under the plastic. As a result, he now has weakness and shortness of breath and 50% lung capacity.
- A 66 year-old dairy farmer experienced shortness of breath starting in his 40s. He has fibroses in the lungs, is on oxygen full time, and has been recommended to undergo a lung transplant.
- A 22 year-old male with pre-existing asthma was harvesting corn. He was overcome with sudden respiratory failure and died due to exposure to mouldy corn.
All of these farmers inhaled dust containing mould spores that caused permanent, irreversible lung damage.
Watch for these symptoms
Symptoms of Farmer's Lung can occur as soon as four to eight hours after exposure to dusts and mould spores. Warning signs may include:
- headache
- irritating cough
- shortness of breath upon physical exertion
- physical weakness
- occasional fever and sweating
- decrease in appetite, and
- various aches and pains.
Symptoms can persist for up to two weeks without further exposure. Depending on the degree and frequency of exposure, symptoms may increase in severity and can become debilitating and long-term. After multiple exposures, it takes less bacteria, dust and mould spores to set off the reaction in the lung. Smoking can make the condition worse.
The presence of Farmer's Lung is mostly observed after the harvest season when symptoms have set in. It peaks during late winter and early spring.
Treatment and management
Treatment includes steroids, bronchodilators, and oxygen therapy. However, these do not heal damaged lungs, although they help sufferers cope with the condition. Farmers with severe damage to their lungs from Farmer’s Lung may require a lung transplant as their only recourse.
The risks and how to reduce them
Moulds tend to grow in stored hay, grain, or silage when moisture content is high (30 percent) and storage areas are poorly ventilated. People can be exposed to harmful dusts and moulds if they are:
- feeding or working with hay, grain or silage
- working in dusty fields or buildings
- working in silos or grain bins, or
- working around animal feathers, hair, fur or droppings
Here are some recommendations for eliminating or reducing exposure to dusts and mould spores:
- Maximize ventilation in dusty areas
- Ensure adequate ventilation in barns, grain bins and silos by using fans or roof vents
- Maintain ventilation systems for optimum performance
- Keep storage buildings and roofs in good, leak-free condition
- Avoid dusty work in enclosed spaces
- Dry wet materials before processing or harvesting
- Wet down dried or dusty material before cleaning to prevent airborne particles
- Replace dirty air filters in the tractor
- Keep tractor cab free of organic accumulation
- If possible, store hay with a high risk of spoilage as silage instead of bales
- Mechanize farm chores handling hay or feed as much as possible to reduce exposure to mouldy dust
- Wear an appropriate respirator when handling mouldy material
For more information on respirators, check out this free resource on Properly Cleaning and Storing Respirators.
References
- Diseases, Disorders and Injuries, Retrieved October 8, 2024, from https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/diseases/farmers_lung.html
- Farmer’s Lung: It takes your breath away!, Retrieved October 8, from https://nasdonline.org/static_content/documents/1654/d001538.pdf
- Dales RE , Munt PW. (1982, October 1). Farmer's Lung Disease. Retrieved from https://europepmc.org/article/med/21286564
The information in this article is accurate as of its publication date.
