Respiratory Illness Caused by Mold and Dust : Part 2

by CDC

(Page 2 of 2)

How to Tell if You Have Farmer's Lung

Self diagnosis is not recommended. Always check with your physician to confirm your suspicions. However, here are some ways to tentatively diagnose yourself:

• Have you experienced a sudden illness that developed a few hours after you handled moldy crop material?
• Do you have a chronic cough?
• Do you have a general feeling of tiredness or depression?

Medical Treatment

It is not enough to look at the list of symptoms and think that you may have Farmer's Lung. You need to see your family physician. The list only helps you recognize symptoms that might match and it is important not to ignore them.

When you see your doctor, there are several things you can do to help him/her diagnose you correctly. A doctor who is unfamiliar with farmers' illnesses or does not know you are a farmer can mistake the symptoms of Farmer's Lung for a cold, asthma, flu or even pneumonia, and incorrectly diagnose your illness.

Tell your doctor:

• you are a farmer and the type of farming you do
• if you have been exposed to moldy crop material
• what chemicals and/or dusts you work with

Then your doctor can do several things to confirm or disprove a tentative diagnosis.

• take a blood test
• take a chest x-ray
• administer a breathing capacity test
• examine lung tissue
• administer an inhalation challenge
• perform an immunological investigation
• perform lung function testing
• review clinical history

Farmer's Lung can be controlled in many ways. One way for your doctor to help control it is to give you symptomatic relief. But Farmer's Lung cannot be cured. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine in advance if you are immune.

Measures Farmers Can Take Farmers can control or even minimize the possibility of getting Farmer's Lung by several preventative measures:

Preventative Measures

• identify contaminants and hazards in the work environment
• minimize the amount and type of contaminants in the work environment
• avoid exposure to contaminants and mold spores and dust from decayed grains and forages
• limit exposure to all contaminants
• operate within a controlled environment whenever possible (e.g., cab, control room, etc.)
• depend upon mechanical controls to remove air contaminants (e.g., fans, exhaust blowers, filters, etc.)
• have as much ventilation as possible in dusty areas
• move work outside whenever possible
• avoid dusty work in confined areas
• wear respirators, masks or other protective equipment

Management to Prevent Mold Spore Growth

• use mold inhibitors
• bale hay, ensile crops, harvest and store grain at recommended moisture contents
• dry grain properly before storage
• properly ventilate storage buildings
• crops should be adequately ventilated to cool them down.
• always use a plastic sheet to cap open silos (not plant material) holding down the edges with heavy weight (e.g. tires)

When You Must Work With Moldy Materials

• wet down feed before transferring to minimize dust
• convert to mechanical or automated feeding or feed handling systems
• wet down the top of the silo before uncapping ensiled material
• use some wetting techniques when cleaning out grain bins or other dusty areas
• use respiratory protection when handling moldy or dusty materials.

If you decide to use some form of respiratory protection, then make sure you use the appropriate device for the work task. Most farmers wear dust masks to protect themselves from Farmer's Lung. This is the best and most cost-efficient protection unless you know you will be exposed to extremely high levels of moldy dusts or you already have developed Farmer's Lung.

Those who have Farmer's Lung should talk to their doctor about the type of equipment that will offer the most protection because every exposure increases the risk of serious permanent damage.

Also, for any device you choose, make sure it fits well and is properly maintained.

For more information about respiratory equipment, see your local extension office or the publication on "Respiratory Protection."

More Information About Farmer's Lung

The chances of acquiring the disease are the greatest in late winter and early spring. This is mainly because farmers feed the hay and grain materials which have had a longer time to develop mold. Also, during those colder months, farmers are likely to feed baled hay inside, and mold spores stay in the air inside a barn much longer. The amounts of mold spores a farmer will breathe in such a confined space are much more concentrated. Unrolling large round hay bales also may release mold spores.

Other times to be more careful about dusts that may contain higher levels of mold spores are: In late summer - while cleaning out grain bins before filling with new grain. In early winter- opening new silos may release mold spores from the top layer of silage.

About the Author

www.cdc.gov
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the 13 major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is the principal agency in the United States government for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services, especially for those people who are least able to help themselves.