Biomaterial Database

The effects of long-term occupational exposure to dust from herbs. 2006

Marcin Golec

Department of Occupational Biohazards, Institute of Agricultural Medicine, Jaczewskiego 2, 20-950, Lublin, Poland. msgolec@yahoo.com

BACKGROUND Herbs are a heterogeneous group of many species with several thousand plants, which are used in large quantities in the pharmaceutical and food industries. The aim of the study was to analyse the health effects of long-term occupational exposure to dust from herbs. METHODS A group of 150 people occupationally exposed to dust from herbs, consisting of farmers and workers from herbs processing industry, was examined. As a reference group, 50 urban dwellers not exposed to any kind of organic dust were examined. Examined people were interviewed with the help of the ATS questionnaire compiled by Ferris and by the questionnaire developed in the Institute of Agricultural Medicine in Lublin, Poland for examination of work-related symptoms caused by organic dust. The lung function examination (vital capacity (VC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV(1)), and FEV(1)/VC (%) of normal ranges) and allergological tests (skin prick test, precipitin test and inhibition of leukocyte migration (MIF) test) with microbial antigens were conducted. RESULTS 71.3% (95% CI 64.1-78.6%) of the exposed people reported occurrence of work-related symptoms. A post-shift decrease of spirometric values (VC, VC%) was observed in the exposed group (mean decrease 2.6%, P<0.01). A significant relationship was found between the number of work-related symptoms and decrease of FEV(1) values, both before (Spearman correlation coefficient r=-0.21, P<0.05) and after work (r=-0.31, P<0.01). In allergological tests, the frequencies of positive reactions in the exposed group were significantly higher than in the reference group. Precipitins specific to Pantoea agglomerans were found in 30.6% (95% CI 23.2-38.1%) of exposed, compared to 12.0% among unexposed (P=0.01). The frequency of positive results in the migration inhibition test was significantly higher among exposed workers for all antigens tested. CONCLUSIONS Long-term exposure to dust from herbs causes work-related symptoms and decrease of lung function parameters, which, finally, may lead to occupational disease.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D006967	Hypersensitivity	Altered reactivity to an antigen, which can result in pathologic reactions upon subsequent exposure to that particular antigen.	Allergy,Allergic Reaction,Allergic Reactions,Allergies,Hypersensitivities,Reaction, Allergic,Reactions, Allergic
D007221	Industry	Any enterprise centered on the processing, assembly, production, or marketing of a line of products, services, commodities, or merchandise, in a particular field often named after its principal product. Examples include the automobile, fishing, music, publishing, insurance, and textile industries.	Tertiary Sector,Industries,Sector, Tertiary,Sectors, Tertiary,Tertiary Sectors
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D010946	Plants, Medicinal	Plants whose roots, leaves, seeds, bark, or other constituent parts possess therapeutic, tonic, purgative, curative or other pharmacologic attributes, when administered to man or animals.	Herbs, Medicinal,Medicinal Herbs,Healing Plants,Medicinal Plants,Pharmaceutical Plants,Healing Plant,Herb, Medicinal,Medicinal Herb,Medicinal Plant,Pharmaceutical Plant,Plant, Healing,Plant, Medicinal,Plant, Pharmaceutical,Plants, Healing,Plants, Pharmaceutical
D011044	Poland	A country in central Europe, east of Germany. The capital is Warsaw.	Polish People's Republic,Republic of Poland
D011795	Surveys and Questionnaires	Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions.	Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D012129	Respiratory Function Tests	Measurement of the various processes involved in the act of respiration: inspiration, expiration, oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, lung volume and compliance, etc.	Lung Function Tests,Pulmonary Function Tests,Function Test, Pulmonary,Function Tests, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Function Test,Test, Pulmonary Function,Tests, Pulmonary Function,Function Test, Lung,Function Test, Respiratory,Function Tests, Lung,Function Tests, Respiratory,Lung Function Test,Respiratory Function Test,Test, Lung Function,Test, Respiratory Function,Tests, Lung Function,Tests, Respiratory Function
D004391	Dust	Earth or other matter in fine, dry particles. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)	House Dust,Housedust,Dust, House
D005260	Female		Females