BIOAEROSOL EXPOSURE IN FARMING COMMUNITIES: EFFECTS ON RESPIRATORY PHYSIOLOGY AND REHABILITATION NEEDS

Abstract

Bioaerosol exposure (a not very popular occupational hazard, which shows up in farming communities rather frequently), is also a rather nasty thing to have in your lungs.  This research examines the physical consequence of the prolonged exposure and efficiency of rehabilitation programs in the rural farming community. Three hundred farmworkers who had been working in a region with high abundance of bioaerosols were subjected to mixed-method experimental design.  Quantitative characterization included microbiological air sampling, spirometry and biomarker profiling of IL-8, TNF-alpha. Structured interviews were the source of qualitative information.  The level of functioning of the lungs and the efficiency of the rehabilitation was studied in a follow-up at a period of six months. The exposed participants revealed a significant decrease in FEV 1 and FVC by 18.4 and 15.2 percent, and they experienced a rise in IL-8 and TNF-alpha.  Exposures associated with occupational roles that involved contact with livestock particularly were associated with higher levels of microbes and poorer lung conditions.  During the successful completion of rehabilitation, there was a 32 percent increase in breathing and the most rewarding programs were sponsored by the community.  Visual forms of data represented that there were interconnections between the intensity of symptoms, exposure intensity, and the inflammatory response.  Interviews raised issues of care-seeking availability, distance and money issues in the majority of cases. Bioaerosol is a continuous exposure to people working on farms and it may lead to severe respiratory diseases. Yet, early rehabilitation and special public health programs can have a significant difference.  This research reveals the significance of the possibility of government-provided surveillance, preventive care, and rehabilitation on the community level to the at-risk rural workers.