Occupational Exposure to Flour Dust. Exposure Assessment and Effectiveness of Control Measures

Martinelli, Andrea; Salamon, Fabiola; Scapellato, Maria Luisa; Trevisan, Andrea; Vianello, Liviano; Bizzotto, Rosana; Crivellaro, Maria Angiola; Carrieri, Mariella

doi:10.3390/ijerph17145182

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…For example, the total ambient dust concentration of 0.33 mg/m 3 was reported among 68 bakers in Norway ( 28 ), whereas a concentration of 1.56 mg/m 3 was recorded from flourmills in Iran ( 29 ). Moreover, significantly higher levels of dust were evident for dough makers in comparison to those working in other areas of a mill factory ( 12 ) which is consistent with the findings of the present case study and was also reported elsewhere ( 11 , 30 , 31 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Research has shown that flour dust exposure is associated with a range of respiratory symptoms, including cough, wheeze, shortness of breath (dyspnea), asthma, eye problems, conjunctivitis, rhinitis, and sinusitis ( 11 , 12 ). Exposure at 1.35–3.57 mg/m 3 has been identified with changes in lung function and an increased prevalence of respiratory and asthmatic symptoms ( 13 , 14 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Case Report: Occupational Dust Exposure Among Bakery Workers in Perth, Western Australia

Rumchev

Zhao

Lee

2021

Front. Public Health

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Occupational dust exposure can occur in various settings, including bakeries. A case study was conducted in an industrial bakery in Perth, Western Australia, to assess exposure to particulate dust concentration. The factory was separated into three production zones and an office area which represented as a control zone. Results indicated that bakery workers in the production zones were exposed to higher ambient dust particle concentrations compared to those from the office environment. Coarse particles (>10 μm in aerodynamic diameter) were the predominant particle size fraction measured in all studied areas with the highest median exposure level recorded in the dough room (0.181 mg/m3, interquartile range 0.283). High personal concentration of respirable particles was also measured in the dough room (median 2.26 mg/m3) which exceeded the recommended limit of 1.5 mg/m3 and was more than 50 times higher than the concentration recorded in the office (0.04 mg/m3). The variation in dust concentrations between production zones underlines the need of more knowledge about how aerosol fractions are distributed across the production process. The findings also suggest that bakery workers are exposed to high dust levels that may increase their risk of developing respiratory diseases and the decrease of present exposure levels is imperative.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Case Report: Occupational Dust Exposure Among Bakery Workers in Perth, Western Australia

Rumchev

Zhao

Lee

2021

Front. Public Health

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“…Industrial hygiene sampling sessions were performed in all bakeries by means of personal and area sampling [ 29 ]. For the dust analysis, we divided the measured personal dust concentration into three different levels chosen by considering the limit of 1 mg/m 3 recommended by SCOEL, namely dust level (1) <1 mg/m 3 , dust level (2) between 1 and 2 mg/m 3 , and dust level (3) ≥2 mg/m 3 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upper and Lower Respiratory Signs and Symptoms in Workers Occupationally Exposed to Flour Dust

Crivellaro

Ottaviano

Maculan

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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A group of 142 bakers was studied in order to investigate the relationship between higher/lower respiratory signs/symptoms and inflammation biomarkers and occupational exposure to flour dust. A complete upper and lower respiratory tract evaluation was performed. Seven percent of bakers complained of lower respiratory symptoms, while 22% of them complained of upper respiratory symptoms. Fifty five percent of the bakers were allergic, and 37.1% showed sensitization to occupational allergens. Abnormal spirometries were found in 15% of bakers, while fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) was above the normal reference in 24.5% of them. Moreover, 23.8% of bakers were found to be hyposmic. Population mean peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) was in the normal range even if almost all the workers suffered from neutrophilic rhinitis at nasal cytology with the number of nasal neutrophils increasing with the increase of the duration of exposure to flour dust (p = 0.03). PNIF and FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in the 1st second) showed a positive correlation (p = 0.03; r = 0.19). The Tiffeneau index decreased with the increase of dust (p = 0.017). A similar result was obtained once we divided our population into smokers and non-smokers (p = 0.021). Long-term exposure to bakery dusts can lead to a status of minimal nasal inflammation and allergy.

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“…The initial effects of dust on the lungs are characterized by reversible respiratory symptoms and worsened lung function [ 1 ]. Occupational dust exposure can induce pulmonary inflammatory cascades and structural damage, leading to decreased lung function and other dust-related lung diseases, including sinus disease, respiratory irritation, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is globally recognized as a serious public health problem [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Workers’ Occupational Dust Exposure and Pulmonary Function Assessment: Cross-Sectional Study in China

Jiang²,

Deng³

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Objective: This study aims to determine the occupational health status of workers exposed to dust and the risk factors of lung function decline, to provide a basis for formulating corresponding occupational disease-prevention strategies. Methods: Data on 2045 workers exposed to dust, including their age, gender, exposure time, chest X-ray test results, and pulmonary function test results, were obtained from a key occupational disease monitoring project in Chongqing, China, in 2021. Chi-square tests and multifactorial logistic regression, and other methods, were used for statistical analysis. Results: The prevalence of pneumoconiosis-like changes was 0.83% (17/2045), and the prevalence of abnormal forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1/FVC was 4.25% (87/2045), 12.81% (262/2045), and 1.47% (30/2045), respectively. With increasing worker’s age, the prevalence of abnormal pneumoconiosis-like changes (p = 0.0065), FEV1 (p = 0.0002), FVC (p < 0.0001), and FEV1/FVC (p = 0.0055) all increased. Factors such as age, exposure duration, enterprise size, and dust exposure concentration were associated with abnormal lung function. Conclusions: Workers exposed to occupational dust have a high rate of abnormal lung function. The government, enterprises, and individuals should pay attention to occupational dust exposure, and various effective measures should be actively taken to protect the life and health of workers.

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Occupational Exposure to Flour Dust. Exposure Assessment and Effectiveness of Control Measures

Cited by 10 publications

References 34 publications

Case Report: Occupational Dust Exposure Among Bakery Workers in Perth, Western Australia

Case Report: Occupational Dust Exposure Among Bakery Workers in Perth, Western Australia

Upper and Lower Respiratory Signs and Symptoms in Workers Occupationally Exposed to Flour Dust

Workers’ Occupational Dust Exposure and Pulmonary Function Assessment: Cross-Sectional Study in China

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