2018/02/20 by Huneau-Salaün, Adeline, Puterflam, Julie, Rousset, Nicolas +1
#0 #Couvoir #Duck #Dust #Hatcheries #Health #Palmipède #Poussière #Santé #Travailleurs #Workers
paper · doi:10.15454/1.5191195283942244e12
Workers in animal buildings are exposed to aerial dusts that impair their respiratory health. In duck hatcheries, persons sorting ducklings are exposed to these aerosols but little is known on the impact of this exposure on their respiratory health. An epidemiological study is presently carried out in 14 French duck hatcheries in order to assess workers’ exposure to dust and its impact on respiratory health. This paper deals with the results on human exposure to dust, since the medical examinations to assess respiratory health of workers will continue until June 2014. The personal exposure to inhalable (diameter < 100 µm) and respiratory (< 5 µm) dusts of 57 workers during sorting of ducklings was measured using personal air samplers (CIP 10, ARELCO, France). For comparison, the exposure of 35 persons working in egg incubation rooms was measured. The sanitary status of ducks was estimated by specific examination. The exposure of workers in the sorting rooms was significantly higher than the one of workers in incubation rooms, for inhalable dust (14.581mg/m3 vs. 0.452 ± 0.984 mg/m3, P<0.001) and for respiratory dust (0.469±0.280 mg/m3 vs. 0.117 ± 0.116 mg/m3, P<0.01). Two-third of the workers sorting ducklings experienced an exposure to inhalable dust higher than the Occupational Exposure Limit (10 mg/m3 over a 8-hour period), demonstrating the need of wearing respiratory mask for the most exposing tasks to dust. The increase of the alveolar dust concentrations increases significantly the risks of cough/spits, of whistlings (only at the allergic professionals) and of breathlessnesses. It also seems that alveolar dusts are bound to the asthma. The study showed worrying data on prevalence of asthma and rhinitis, suggesting that all the exposures should be investigated.