Objectives: To assess the prevalence of skin symptoms among farmers exposed to organic dust of plant origin.
Material and methods: In 1998 and 1999 a survey on occupational diseases among farmers in Poland was carried out. As a part of the survey, 101 farmers in Lublin Voivodship (an administrative district in Eastern Poland) were examined using a standardised questionnaire and clinical examination by a dermatologist. The farmers were divided into 3 groups: 41 grain growers, 29 flax growers, and 23 hop growers. They were employed in typical Polish small to middle family farms. The questionnaire and examination were focused on skin symptoms related to working with the particular plant.
Results: Among the 101 patients questioned and examined in this study, 28 reported skin symptoms related to work. These ranged from pruritus without visible skin changes to pronounced eczema. In 16 out of 101 farmers, grain dust was the only or one of more provoking factors.
| Group | Grain growers | Flax growers | Hop growers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of farmers | 49 (26 M, 23 F) | 29 (15 M, 14 F) | 23 (13 M, 10 F) |
| Mean age (range) | 41 (20-69) years | 40 (22-63) years | 51 (20-75) years |
| Time of employment | 26.5 (4-53) years | 23 (3-49) years | 31.5 (9-62) years |
| Cases with skin symptoms | 10 (24.4%) | 10 (34.5%) | 8 (34.8%) |
| Causative factor* | grain in 9 cases other in 1 case |
flax in 4 cases grain in 6 cases other in 1 case |
hop in 5 cases grain in 1 case other in 2 cases |
| *note that in one person more than 1 causative could be identified, therefore the number of causative factors does not necessarily equal the number of cases. | |||
Conclusion: Plant dust produced during harvesting and processing grain, flax and hop has strong irritating and/or allergising properties and is capable of provoking skin symptoms in almost every third farmer.
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