Hazardous exposure and lung disease among farm workers

Abstract

Industrialization of farming, animal raising, and forestry has added new chemical and mechanical hazards that need to be recognized and prevented. Lung disease among farm workers can result from a wide variety of hazardous exposures that include organic dusts, chemicals, and toxic gases. In addition to nonspecific symptoms of mucous membrane irritation, farm workers can develop occupational asthma or bronchitis, organic dust toxic syndrome, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, silo filler's disease (toxic hemorrhagic pulmonary edema), and neuromuscular respiratory failure.