The cohort of young Danish farmers – A longitudinal study of the health effects of farming exposure

Working in agriculture poses a serious risk for development of respiratory diseases, especially when working in animal housing. Animal workers are exposed to a mixture of organic and inorganic dust together with fumes and gases, including allergens and microbial-associated molecular patterns with a potentially major impact on respiratory health and the immune system. Exposure to microbial agents in animal housing is associated with an increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms, including bronchial hyperresponsiveness, accelerated lung function decline, and neutrophil-mediated inflammation. These clinical findings are often seen without IgE-mediated sensitization. In fact it has been found in recent studies that the prevalence of atopic sensitization and atopic asthma is low among farmers compared with other populations. The SUS study was designed to identify the type and occurrence of respiratory symptoms and disease, and to investigate risk factors for respiratory disorders and changes in lung function among young farming students. The cohort of young Danish farmers was established in 1992/1994 and followed up in 2007/2008 with a participation rate of 51.7%. The cohort consists of 1734 male farming students, 230 female farming students, and 407 army recruits as controls

Can selection explain the protective effects of farming on asthma?

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Reduced asthma and allergy risks in farmers have been ascribed to microbial exposures. However, selection may also play a role and this was assessed in two Scandinavian farming populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Asthma prevalence in 739 Danish farming students was compared to that of 1,105 siblings. 8,482 Norwegian farmers were also compared with 349 early retired farmers. RESULTS: The prevalence of ever-asthma was 5.4% in farming students and 5.2% in siblings (OR 1.1; 95%CI 0.73-1.7). Current asthma in farmers was 3.0% compared to 6.3% in farmers who had retired early (OR 1.8, 95%CI 1.1-2.9). Adjustments for early retirement increased the asthma prevalence by 0.3-0.6%. Farmers who had changed production were more likely to have asthma (OR 9.8, 95% CI 6.0-16). CONCLUSIONS: No healthy worker selection into farming was observed and changes in asthma prevalence due to early retirement were small. Selection effects are therefore unlikely to explain the protective effects of farming on asthma

Reducing the health effect of particles from agriculture

This autumn, the European Union (EU) Parliament will have a crucial vote on the future of air pollution policy in Europe. For discussion is a commission proposal for new national emission ceilings, as amended by the European Parliament Environment Committee in July, 2015. The proposed emission ceilings cover not only emissions of primary, directly emitted particulate matter but also emissions from precursor gases. These gases include ammonia, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, which react in the atmosphere to form solid (particulate) ammonium sulphates and nitrates