Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Feb;54(2):177-83.
doi: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e31823d86f2.

Poultry processing work and respiratory health of Latino men and women in North Carolina

Maria C Mirabelli  1 , Arjun B Chatterjee, Thomas A Arcury, Dana C Mora, Jill N Blocker, Joseph G Grzywacz, Haiying Chen, Antonio J Marín, Mark R Schulz, Sara A Quandt
Affiliations

Poultry processing work and respiratory health of Latino men and women in North Carolina

Maria C Mirabelli et al. J Occup Environ Med. 2012 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate associations between poultry processing work and respiratory health among working Latino men and women in North Carolina.

Methods: Between May 2009 and November 2010, 402 poultry processing workers and 339 workers in a comparison population completed interviewer-administered questionnaires. Of these participants, 279 poultry processing workers and 222 workers in the comparison population also completed spirometry testing to provide measurements of forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity.

Results: Nine percent of poultry processing workers and 10% of workers in the comparison population reported current asthma. Relative to the comparison population, adjusted mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity were lower in the poultry processing population, particularly among men who reported sanitation job activities.

Conclusions: Despite the low prevalence of respiratory symptoms reported, poultry processing work may affect lung function.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Linaker C, Smedley J. Respiratory illness in agricultural workers. Occup Med (Lond) 2002;52:451–459. - PubMed
    1. Omland O. Exposure and respiratory health in farming in temperate zones—a review of the literature. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2002;9:119–136. - PubMed
    1. Kirkhorn SR, Garry VF. Agricultural lung diseases. Environ Health Perspect. 2000;108(suppl 4):705–712. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Schenker M. Respiratory health hazards in agriculture. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1998;158:S1–S76. - PubMed
    1. Hagmar L, Schutz A, Hallberg T, Sjoholm A. Health effects of exposure to endotoxins and organic dust in poultry slaughter-house workers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1990;62:159–164. - PubMed

Publication types