Respiratory health assessment in agricultural workers by job exposure matrices

Objective: To assess the common respiratory disorders and estimate long term exposure of agricultural workers based on јob exposure matrices (JEMs). Methods: Our study evaluated the impact of occupational exposure on asthma and COPD development among 87 crop and 83 dairy farmers, compared to 80 administrative controls. Evaluation of subjects included standard questionnaire on chronic respiratory symptoms, spirometry testing, and assessment of occupational exposure by JEMs. Results: Asthma was registered in 8% of crop and 7.2% of dairy farmers, and in 5% of controls, whereas the prevalence of allergic was significantly higher compared to non-allergic asthma in exposed and unexposed workers. Occupational allergic asthma was registered in 2.3% of crop farmers and 1.2% of dairy farmers, while the frequency of work-aggravated asthma was 5.7% and 6.1% respectively. The COPD prevalence was non-significantly higher in exposed (6.9% in crop farmers and 8.4% in dairy farmers) compared to controls (3.8%). COPD was significantly associated with age over 40 years, smoking habit, and exposure duration. According to JEMs, asthma and COPD in crop farmers were significantly related to high intensity of exposure to dust, gases, fumes and vapors on a regular basis, while among dairy farmers they were significantly related to high intensity of dust exposure on a regular basis, as well as high intensity of exposure to gases, fumes and vapors both on sporadic and regular basis. Conclusion: Occupational exposure to respiratory hazards in agriculture may cause a variety of adverse respiratory health effects, being closely related to its duration, characteristics, and intensity, while JEMs are promising for farming settings.