Occupational exposure limits (OELs) together with determined airborne exposures are used in risk assessment based managements of occupational exposures to prevent occupational diseases. In most countries, OELs have only been set for few protein-containing aerosols causing IgE-mediated allergies. They comprise aerosols of flour dust, grain dust, wood dust, natural rubber latex, and the subtilisi...

This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and sensitization to dust components in 224 individuals in 18 small bakeries in Scotland. Each work practice in the bakeries was characterized by an assessment of dust exposure and assigned to a category with either a direct exposure to flour dust of an indirect exposure to flour dust. We found that work-related resp...

INTRODUCTION The main purpose of this study was to investigate the respiratory effects of exposure to high airborne concentrations of wheat flour dust. METHODS This cross-sectional study was carried out at a local wheat flour mill in Shiraz, southern Iran. Thirty-five male workers exposed to flour dust and 32 healthy male nonexposed employees were investigated. The prevalence of respiratory s...

OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy of dust respirators in preventing asthma attacks in patients with occupational asthma (asthma induced by buckwheat flour or wheat flour). METHODS The effect of the work environment was examined in two patients with occupational asthma with and without the use of a commercially available mask or a dust respirator. Pulmonary function tests were performed immedi...

In 1999 the American conference of governmental industrial hygienists (ACGIH) proposed a threshold limit value (TLV) of 0.5 mg/m for flour dust with a sensitization notation. As part of this study, a relationship between flour dust concentrations and respiratory symptoms were examined. All 24 male flour subjects and 10 male controls were studied using air samples, ventilatory function testing, ...

BACKGROUND The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conducted a study to determine prevalences of sensitization to bakery-associated antigens (BAAs) and work-related respiratory symptoms at a large commercial bakery. METHODS The following measurements were carried out: personal breathing zone (PBZ) and general area (GA) monitoring for inhalable flour dust, α-amylase and wheat...

INTRODUCTION Recent studies have shown that even low exposure levels to flour dust and related allergens can cause severe respiratory symptoms. In The Netherlands the Dutch government and responsible branch organizations [from bakeries (traditional & industrial), flour mills and bakery ingredient producers] signed a covenant to reduce exposure to flour dust and decrease the prevalence of work-r...

The current cross-sectional study with a comparison group was undertaken to investigate peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) in flour mill workers and to study relationship between reduction in PEFR and age, smoking, exposure to grain dust and respiratory morbidity. The study included 286 flour mill workers and equal number of neighbourhood controls group-matched for age. PEFR was measured by using...

AIM The study aimed to investigate effects of organic dust exposure from different sources on aflatoxin B1-albumin adducts (AFB1/Alb), and role of glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene polymorphism in hepatotoxicity of (AFB1) among exposed workers. MATERIAL AND METHODS Liver enzymes, AFB1/Alb, and GST polymorphism were estimated in 132 wheat flour dust and 87 woods sawmill workers, and 156 con...

Results Workers that were directly exposed to flour dust showed a prevalence of rhinitis (57.4%), rhinoconjonctivitis (43.5%), and nocturnal cough (11.0%) significantly higher than the indirectly exposed (43.5%, 14.7% and 5.4%) and controls (37.3%, 11.6% and 6.3%), all p<0.05. 36.8% of flour dust directly exposed workers showed positive SPT to at least one allergens, that was significantly lowe...