Respiratory health effects of farming – an overview

Smoking, work in pig barns, and crop farming together with exposure to endotoxin and quaternary ammonium have been described as environmental risk factors for self-reported asthma and or wheeze in cross sectional studies. Mould and decaying organic material has likewise been shown to cause Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP).  A recent multicenter study pooling data from several European cross sectional studies have shown that endotoxin exposure was associated to organic dust toxic syndrome and COPD.  A few longitudinal studies have been conducted in farming populations, and they show an increased decline in farmers producing pigs.  This paper will present the recent developments in studies of respiratory health problems among farmers.