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Biomedical subjects

K J Donham

Publications and source records attributed to K J Donham.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Association of environmental air contaminants with disease and productivity in swine.

A cross-sectional epidemiologic study associating air quality with swine health was conducted on 28 swine farms in southern Sweden. Correlation of housing air environment to swine diseases and productivity (data collected over the preceding 12 months) were investigated. The most prevalent swine health problems detected at slaughter were pneumonia and pleuritis. In farrowing and nursery operations, the most prevalent problem was neonatal pig mortality. Several air contaminants (dust, ammonia carbon dioxide, and microbes) were found to be correlated with these swine health problems. Maximal safe concentrations of air contaminants were estimated on the basis of dose-response correlation to swine health or human health problems. Recommended maximal concentrations of contaminant were: dust, 2.4 mg/m3; ammonia, 7 ppm; endotoxin, 0.08 mg/m3; total microbes, 10(5) colony-forming units/m3; and carbon dioxide, 1,540 ppm. The overall quality of the ventilation system was correlated with lower concentration of ammonia, carbon dioxide, microorganisms, and endotoxin, but not with dust concentrations. High animal density was related to high ammonia and air microbe concentrations. Animal density measured as kilograms of swine per cubic meter (compared with kilograms of pig weight or swine per square meter) had the highest correlation to animal health and air contaminants.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1990

Health effects from work in swine confinement buildings.

A total of 14 epidemiologic studies from four countries, involving 2,786 workers is reviewed for respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function, antibodies to swine house allergens, and exposure-response variables. Cough and phlegm were the most common symptoms (ranging from 12 to 55%). Tightness of chest and wheezing were frequently reported (12 to 33%) as well as episodes of organic dust toxic syndrome. Acute symptoms, directly associated with work, were from 1.5 to 2 times more prevalent than chronic symptoms. Baseline pulmonary function generally revealed decrements in flow rates, but not volumes; over-shift changes showed small decrements in both flows and volumes. IgG antibodies to swine house antigens were common; no relation to symptoms could be found. Exposure response studies were limited, but relationships were seen between endotoxin and pulmonary function decrements, or respiratory symptoms.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed1990

Bronchial hyperreactivity among pig and dairy farmers.

The presence of work-related symptoms, pulmonary functions, and bronchial reactivity were studied in farmers working with dairy animals or pigs. An increased incidence of the organic dust toxic syndrome, cough, and throat irritation was found. Pulmonary function baseline values were close to normal, and no significant decreases occurred over the work period. Bronchial reactivity was increased.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed1990

Prologue: agricultural occupational and environmental health: policy strategies for the future.

The conference "Agricultural Occupational and Environmental Health: Policy Strategies for the Future" documented for the public record the epidemic of occupational and environmental deaths, diseases, and injuries experienced by America's farm families and agricultural workers. The conference also gave life to a process aimed at reducing those hazards. The outcome of long-range objectives of lowering death, injury, and disease rates in our agricultural population will not be known for several years. However, there was unanimous consensus that the major short-range objectives were achieved. Extensive regional and national media coverage helped meet the goal of facilitating public awareness of the issues. In addition, a prioritized policy agenda, soundly based on recent scientific information, was produced. This agenda was the product of collaboration between the scientific community, farm constituency groups, farm equipment and chemical manufacturers, and representatives from state and federal governments. Primary changes resulting from the conference include an increase in general awareness and a sense of urgency that agricultural health problems must be addressed. In addition, the conference spawned a new organization called the National Coalition for Agricultural Safety and Health (N-CASH) to help assure a vibrant continuation of conference issues. This coalition will live on to help disseminate the spirit, information, and specific policy recommendations of the conference to the public sector and private institutions. Two years of planning and work by 18 individuals occurred even before the start of the conference. During the conference, 176 individuals put in an equivalent of three and a half person years of work. However, the work is just beginning. This effort is justified if it results in one less death or serious injury in a farm family.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1990

Preventing respiratory disease in swine confinement workers: intervention through applied epidemiology, education, and consultation.

A combined epidemiological and intervention study was conducted on 207 swine confinement farmers with matched comparison subjects. The objectives of the study were to define, in detail, the nature and disease determinants in this exposed group and to explore methods of disease prevention. This 5 year prospective study included three annual medical assessments of workers and complementary work environment assessments. Between the first and second assessment periods, an in-depth educational intervention was conducted. An industrial hygiene consultation intervention was conducted between the second and third measurement periods. Outcome measurements included changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior following educational intervention. Additionally, the outcomes measured included changes in medical and environmental assessment over the 3 year assessment periods. Results of the baseline respiratory symptoms assessment are reported here. Nearly 20% of swine confinement workers reported chronic cough, and 25% reported phlegm (American Thoracic Society questionnaire). Both symptoms were significantly more prevalent in the confinement workers compared to a blue collar comparison group, but only phlegm production was more prevalent compared to nonconfinement farmers. Work-related symptoms were reported much more frequently than chronic symptoms (e.g., 87% of confinement workers reported work-related cough). Bronchitis as well as airways reactivity were all significantly more prevalent in confinement workers compared to nonconfinement workers. Smoking seemed to have an additive effect with confinement exposure. Bronchitis and chest tightness symptoms were reported to be more severe upon return to work after an absence of 7 days or more. Finally, 34% of workers reported episodes of organic dust toxic syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Iowa Agricultural Health and Safety Service Project.

A model community-based comprehensive agricultural occupational health and safety service program has been implemented in Iowa. The functional center of coordination is based in the College of Medicine at the University of Iowa. The community-based hub of the service is the community hospital, where the majority of the direct client services originate. The University provides training of hospital staff, programming, direction, consultation, and referral. The services offered include primary care, health surveillance, industrial hygiene and safety, and education. Through a detailed evaluation of the project's objectives we will be able to evaluate, modify, and disseminate a model agricultural health and safety services delivery program. This model should be effective in changing the farming population's health and safety attitudes and behaviors through a community-based program.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1990

The farm family perception of occupational health: a multistate survey of knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and ideas.

It is vitally important to integrate the views and concerns of the farm family into the process of policy development. If the input is not there, policy planners could implement programs that are philosophically separated from the farm families' concerns and attitudes. This would destroy credibility and future farmer support of any new program development. From May of 1988 to April of 1989, a phone and mail survey of approximately 1,500 farmers and spouses was conducted to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding agricultural safety and health. The survey was conducted in Iowa, New York, South Carolina, and Washington state. Preliminary results from Iowa and New York indicated that: 1) farmers value highly, and are concerned with, occupational health and safety issues; 2) farmers report that their major concerns include stress, trauma and respiratory problems; 3) farmers would like access to an occupational health and safety service; and 4) any new farm health and safety programs must include farmer input to ensure practicality, applicability, and acceptance.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1989

Effects of exposure to dust in swine confinement buildings--a working group report.

Pulmonary and other symptoms among workers in swine confinement buildings were evaluated by an international working group. In several studies in five different countries a total of about 2000 workers has been studied in clinical and epidemiologic investigations. Symptoms indicative of acute and chronic airway inflammation were widespread, as were systemic reactions of organic dust toxic syndrome. The base-line, and across workshift, pulmonary function changes were moderate. There was no evidence that antigen-antibody reactions are important in the pathogenesis. Longitudinal studies are recommended to establish the relationship between acute and chronic symptoms and end stage disease.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed1987

Relationships of bovine leukemia virus prevalence in dairy herds and density of dairy cattle to human lymphocytic leukemia.

A case-control study was conducted to examine possible relationships between human acute lymphoid leukemia and exposure to dairy cattle and drinking of raw milk. Two hundred twenty-three persons with acute lymphoid leukemia, diagnosed during the years 1969 to 1971 and 1973 to 1980 from the 87 most rural Iowa counties, were accessed from case records at the Iowa State Health Registry for participation in the present study. Each person and 2 matched controls were interviewed for history of residence, exposure to dairy cattle, and consumption of nonpasteurized dairy products. Two types of comparisons between affected persons and controls were done: the prevalence of bovine leukemia virus infection (as measured by serologic study) in dairy herds with which the affected persons and controls had either occupational contact or from which they had consumed raw milk and the density of dairy cattle in the townships where affected persons and controls lived. The bovine leukemia virus infection prevalence in dairy herds with which affected persons had contact was 20%, whereas the infection prevalence in the herds with which the controls had contact was 38%. The density of dairy cows in townships where affected persons resided was generally less than that in townships where controls resided. However, there was one exception; the density of dairy cows at 20 years before diagnosis was higher (589) in townships where affected adult female persons resided, compared with that in townships where controls resided (567).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Hazardous agents in agricultural dusts and methods of evaluation.

Organic dusts in agriculture vary with type of agriculture, weather conditions, geographical location, and agricultural practices. It is difficult to ascribe a specific biological effect to a specific agent in agricultural dusts, and we are only able to develop a list of candidates for disease-causing agents. Future studies should be designed to define more specifically the hazardous agents in agricultural dusts by using more precise analytical techniques and documenting the clinical effects to man, developing dose-response relationships.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed1986

Characterization of dusts collected from swine confinement buildings.

As part of a project to evaluate health hazards for workers in swine confinement buildings, the air in 21 different buildings was sampled with 37 mm cassette filters with and without cyclone preselectors and with cascade impactors. Filter results yielded a mean total aerosol of 6.3 mg/m3, a mean respirable aerosol of 0.5 mg/m3; the geometric mean diameter was 2.9 microns. Cascade impactor measurements revealed a mean total aerosol of 7.6 mg/m3, a respirable aerosol of 2.5 mg/m3 and a mass median diameter of 9.6 microns. The two major constituents in these aerosols were grain particles and dried fecal matter. The grain particles were larger than fecal particles and proportionately more abundant in finishing buildings where 50 kg X 100 kg animals are housed. Therefore the respirable fraction was less in finishing buildings than in farrowing and nursery buildings. Culturing of settled dusts yielded six different mold species, with the highest counts for Verticillium sp. (5 X 10(2) cfu/mg dry dust) grown at 37 degrees C. Thermophilic Actinomycetes and both gram negative and gram positive bacteria were isolated. Azocasein proteinase activity was found in most dust samples analyzed. This dust had a protein content of about 23% and a mean adsorbed ammonia content of 0.4%.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed1985

A synopsis of agricultural respiratory hazards.

This report summarizes the current state of both knowledge and programs concerning a wide range of respiratory hazards facing agricultural producers including cotton dust, grain dust, agricultural chemicals, organic and inorganic dusts, and microbiologic and immunologic agents. Comparisons and criticisms are made among the hazards on the basis of their epidemiology, their occurrence within the agricultural setting, and current approaches, interest, and support for evaluating and controlling the hazard. This report was prepared as both an overview of the technical issues and as a focal point of organizational concern for what appears to be a very broad and largely underrecognized spectrum of occupational health hazards affecting large segments of the agricultural industry. The difficulties confronting research and human health in these areas are at once technical, sociological, and organizational in nature, and remain a challenge to the industry, to government, and to the health profession.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1985

Ambient levels of selected gases inside swine confinement buildings.

To assess potential worker health hazards, the air in confinement structures on 21 randomly selected swine producing farms in Iowa was evaluated for selected gases. The gases measured (mean concentration) included ammonia (34 ppm), hydrogen sulfide (1.4 ppm), carbon monoxide (9.1 ppm) and carbon dioxide (1640 ppm). Ammonia (compared to other gases) most commonly exceeded the Threshold Limit Value (TLV); however, it was common to find buildings with several gases in excess of the TLV. Buildings housing younger animals were more likely to have hazardous gas levels than buildings housing older animals. This complex mixture of gases represents a potential health hazard to an estimated 400,000 individuals who work in swine confinement buildings. These data suggest that research is needed to control these exposures affecting a large number of workers.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1985

Zoonotic disease of occupational significance in agriculture: a review.

This manuscript presents an overview of occupational zoonotic diseases of agricultural workers (agricultural zoonoses). The primary intended use of this manuscript is to provide an educational frame work for public health officials in countries where there is a concern to establish or modify agricultural zoonoses control programs. The material is presented in two parts: 1) general concepts, (including definitions, classifications and ecological concepts), and 2) a description of selected agricultural zoonotic diseases. The general concepts and definitions, presented here in narrative form, are common to all agricultural zoonoses, regardless of geographical location. The specific facts for the individual diseases are presented in a tabular format. The tables present the essential features of 40 of the most important agricultural zoonoses, from a worldwide perspective. An extensive reference list is included so the reader may supplement this manuscript with additional readings.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗