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Occupational Health and Safety Issues on Poultry Farms

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Title: Occupational Health and Safety Issues on Poultry Farms


1
Occupational Health and Safety Issues on Poultry
Farms
  • Bhushan Jayarao, MVSc, Ph.D., MPH
  • Extension Veterinarian
  • Department of Veterinary Science
  • Pennsylvania State University

2
Changes over the last 20 years in medicine and
public policy
  • Better understanding and knowledge of etiological
    agents
  • Improved detection and diagnosis of occupational
    health related diseases
  • Active support and participation by Federal and
    State agencies

3
Changes in the poultry industry
  • Better understanding of nutrition, physiology and
    diseases of poultry
  • Improved housing and management practices
  • Improved technology to process birds and eggs
  • Vertical integration of the industry

4
What do we know about Occupational Health and
Safety Issues related to Poultry ?
  • Peer reviewed scientific publications
    ----- PubMed ( 1974-1999)
  • Dust, gases and toxins ( 4)
  • Asthma, and respiratory illnesses (19)
  • Allergies(9)
  • Infectious diseases (32)
  • Cancer (3)
  • Occupational injuries (14)

5
Environmental Study of Poultry Confinements(Jones
, et al., 1984)
  • Total dust 4.4 mg/m3
  • Respirable dust 0.24 mg/m3
  • NH3 active areas -- 25 ppm
    unused unventilated -- 170 ppm
  • CO2 - 0.05 - 0.1
  • CO, H2S, NO2, CH4, mercaptans, formaldehyde, --
    below detectable levels
  • Airborne bacteria fungi -- 10,000 to 150,000
    cfu/ml
  • Endotoxins
  • total dust -- 0.77 to 61 mg/m3
  • respirable dust -- 0.71 to 15 mg/m3

6
Dust, gases and toxins
Ammonia ------ NIOSH TWA, 25 ppm STEL, 35
ppm Dust --------- NOISH 5 mg/m3 (respirable)
7

Ammonia NIOSH TWA, 25 ppm STEL, 35
ppm OSHA - STEL, 35 ppm Odor
threshold 1-5 ppm. Effect on humans 6 to 20
ppm gt Eye irritant, respiratory problems 100
ppm (1 hr) Irritation to mucous surfaces 5,000
ppm Respiratory spasms, rapid suffocation
10,000 ppm gt Death
8
  • Hydrogen sulfide
  • OSHA TWA, 10 ppm STEL, 55 ppm
  • Odor threshold 0.0002 ppm.
  • Effect on humans
  • 10 ppm Eye irritation
  • 200 ppm (1 hr.) Dizziness, CNS,
    pneumonia
  • 600 ppm gt Rapid death

9
Dust particles
  • Sources
  • automated dry-feed handling systems
  • feces feathers, dust mites
  • manure particles from birds on solid floors
  • particulate matter
  • viral, bacterial, fungal agents
  • Effects on human health
  • Breathing dusty air for an extended time
  • chronic bronchitis
  • capacity to take in and exhale oxygen may be
    reduced
  • increased susceptibility to respiratory diseases
    such as colds
  • episodes of flu-like illness with fever might
    develop
  • adverse allergic reactions may result
  • NOISH 5 mg/m3 (respirable)

10
Endotoxins
  • Poultry confinement workers are potentially
    exposed to large amounts of gram-negative
    bacterial endotoxins
  • however respiratory health effects of such
    exposures have yet to be determined
  • How much endotoxin ?
  • Duration of exposure ?

11
Asthma, and respiratory illnesses
  • Chronic bronchitis in farmers
    ( Norway, Melbostad et al., 1997)
  • 8, 634 farmers
  • work time
  • years of exposure in farming
  • production type
  • dusty occupation outside farming
  • combination of work exposure
  • smoking
  • Conclusions working in dusty environments over
    time increases the risk of contracting chronic
    bronchitis by 2-to 3- fold. Smoking increases the
    risk up to 6-fold.

12
Respiratory health profiles of poultry workers
(South Africa, Rees et al., 1998)
  • Work related cough -- 37
  • Work related wheeze -- 23
  • Most complained about eye, skin and nose
    irritation
  • Symptoms of asthma and organic dust exposure
  • controls -- 3
  • low exposure -- 4
  • medium exposure -- 13
  • high exposure -- 11

13
Prevalence of work related respiratory symptoms
in workers exposed to organic dust
( UK, Simpson et al., 1998)
  • 1032 workers (9 industries)
  • Highest prevalence of work related lower
    respiratory tract (38.1), upper respiratory
    tract (45.2) and chronic bronchitis (15.5)
    were found among poultry workers
  • Exposure time
  • Women more likely to report
  • Smoking

14
Respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function in
chicken catchers ( CDC, USA, Morris et al .,
1991)
  • 59 chicken catchers
  • Chicken catchers reported a high rate of acute
    symptoms associated with work in poultry houses
  • chronic phlegm (39)
  • chronic wheezing (27.1)
  • lowered forced vital capacity (-2.2)
  • lowered FEV -3/4)
  • Conclusion Chicken catchers at risk of
    respiratory dysfunction

15
Health effects of exposure to endotoxins and
organic dust in poultry slaughter house workers
( Sweden, Hagmar et al., 1990)
  • 23 dust exposed shacklers
  • before and after work pulmonary function tests
  • breathing zone levels of both total dust and
    endotoxins monitored during the whole shift.
  • Results
  • reduced pulmonary function total dust -- 6.3
    mg/m3
  • endotoxins -- 0.4 micrograms/m3
  • airborne bacteria-- 400,000 to 1,000,000 CFU/m3

16
Extrinsic allergic alveolitis
  • Vehicle Exposure to organic dust lt 5 microns in
    size
  • Symptoms Recurrent episodes of fever, chills,
    dry cough, dyspnea following exposure after 6 hr
    interval (10-40 asymptomatic) resolution may
    occur in days or weeks after exposure ceases
  • Antigen protein
  • Source bird serum, droppings, feathers

17
AMA guidelines for rating respiratory impairment
  • Test for 1) Dyspnea, and




    2) Ventilatory function
  • Procedures to evaluate impairment of the
    respiratory system
  • Complete history and physical examination with
    special reference to cardiopulmonary symptoms and
    signs
  • Chest x-ray
  • hematocrit
  • electrocardiogram
  • Tests for ventilation
  • Blood gas tests

18
Asthma, and respiratory illnesses
  • Summary
  • Respiratory diseases can be acquired by working
    in poultry environments
  • Duration, dose, age, sex and personal habits
    influence the risk of respiratory diseases

19
Allergies - reported in literature
  • Antigens
  • Hen and duck serum
  • Aspergillus antigens
  • Intestinal extracts
  • Antibiotics ( ceftiofur, virginiamicin,
    lincomycin, spectinomycin)
  • Ethoxyquin
  • Grain beetle

20
Dermatoses
  • Poultry slaughter house workers
  • Staphylcoccus aureus, Group L Streptococci
  • Trichophytia, Candida albicans
  • Chicken poison disease dermatoses among
    poultry workers ( Marks et al., 1983)
  • South central Pennsylvania poultry processing
    plant
  • patients at a clinic seen from Jan 81- July 82
  • 3 with allergic contact dermatitis
  • 1 with irritant contact dermatitis
  • 150 poultry workers examined
  • 9 workers with 13 types of dermatosis
  • Candida infections, irritant contact dermatitis,
    allergic contact dermatitis, abrasions and cuts,
    warts and eczema

21
Psittacosis (Ornithosis)
  • Turkey processing plant workers in Texas,
    Nebraska, and Missouri - 1974
  • Turkeys in Texas source of Chlamydia psittaci
  • Turkey processing plant workers, Nebraska- 1976
  • 28 workers serologically confirmed
  • workers in contact with turkey tissues and had
    skin injuries were more likely to be infected
  • Poultry workers, Britain - 1980
  • 23 poultry workers, 9 duck workers
  • contact with poultry should be considered in
    making a diagnosis

22
Psittacosis (Ornithosis)
  • Duck processors, Britain - 1985
  • 13 of 80 (16) workers had clinical signs
  • highest attack rate in those on production line
  • asymptomatic chlamydial infections in ducks
  • Turkey workers, Minnesota -1989
  • 186 of 122 (66) workers sero-positive
  • workers handling viscera at greatest risk
  • Duck farm and processing plant, Australia - 1989
  • 76 of workers exposed to infection
  • rodent and wild bird control programs

23
Campylobacter enteritis
  • Poultry abattoir workers, Sweden - 1980
  • 37 cases of acute gastroenteritis, 24 positive on
    culture test
  • outbreak occurred when several temporary workers
    were hired in summer
  • Farm workers in Ontario, Canada - 1995
  • No data

24
Salmonella infections
  • Russia
  • 60.7 of poultry plant workers and 9.8 of
    meat-packing plant workers sero-positive
    (Sergevnin et al., 1992).
  • In contact with pathological material, or ate raw
    sausages
  • 8.8 of poultry workers and 6.1 of duck workers
    asymptomatic carriers of Salmonella ( Kotova et
    al., 1988)

25
Viral Infections
  • Serologic evidence of avian adeno-associated
    virus infection (USA, Yates et al., 1991)
  • 6 of unselected adults
  • 14.3 of poultry workers
  • results suggested that A-AV infections not
    restricted to avian species but are found in the
    human adult population
  • Chinese farm families with household ducks an
    pigs share influenza viruses ( Shu et al ., 1996)
  • Intermingling of humans, pigs and ducks on
    Chinese farms are favorable to the generation of
    new, and potentially hazardous strains of
    influenza virus
  • Poultry workers in India sero-positive for
    Newcastle disease virus ( Charan et al., 1981)

26
Other infections
  • Outbreak of streptococcal infection in chicken
    factory in Britain, 1980
  • 103 episodes in 82 workers
  • highest incidence in the packing dept. ( attack
    rate 44)
  • route of introduction, spread remains unknown
  • Streptococcus pyogenes
  • Otitis externa in chicken catchers
  • red poultry mite (dermanyssus gallinae)
  • Erysipelas in quail processing plant in
    Mississippi, 1995
  • Erysipelas diagnosed in Coturnix quail
  • workers with localized inflammation of fingers

27
Warts among poultry processing workers
  • Sweden ( Mergler et al ., 1982)
  • 28.5 of processing plant workers had warts
  • mild skin abrasion suspected to facilitate virus
    infection New Zealand( Steher-Green et al., 1993)
  • 25 of poultry workers identified with HPV type
    7
  • Workers that handed dead, raw or unfrozen chicken
    were 3 times more likely to develop warts
  • Risk of having warts not associated with
    environmental factors or the frequency of cuts or
    abrasions
  • Butchers warts no evidence of person to person
    transmission of HPV-7 ( Keefe et al., 1994)

28
Occupational Injuries
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • poultry processing plant workers
  • Knuckle pads
  • live chicken handlers
  • Upper limb repetitive strain injuries
  • 50 reported more than 1 of the 22 disorders

29
Cancer
  • Occurrence of cancer in women in meat industry,
    Britain-1986
  • 3-fold risk of death was observed both for
    myeloid leukemia and non-Hodgkins lymphomas
    among workers
  • Mortality from cancer and other diseases in
    poultry processing plants, USA - 1997
  • 2639 poultry processing plant workers and 6081
    unexposed workers
  • increased risks oesophageal, liver and lymphatic
    system cancers
  • need more follow up study

30
Endocrine disorders
  • Dysmenorrha and cold exposure
    (Mergler and Vezina, 1985)
  • 213 poultry slaughter house workers and 105
    housewives
  • poultry slaughterhouse workers had significantly
    higher prevalence of dysmenorrhea (73.2) as
    compared to housewives (52.5)
  • Cold exposures influences menstrual processes

31
Life Goes on !!!!!!!
32
The End !!!!!!!
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