Work-related health symptoms among compost facility workers: a cross-sectional study

Van, Hambach Ramona, Droste Jos, François Guido, Weyler Joost, Van, De, Vanoeteren Jan

Description

Industrial composting is a relatively new and expanding activity. Several studies indicate that compost workers are at risk to develop health symptoms. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of work-related health symptoms among compost workers compared with control subjects. Methods A questionnaire was distributed among 62 workers (31 exposed and 31 non-exposed workers). Data were analyzed using simple and multiple logistic regression analyses. Results Workers exposed to organic dust reported significantly more often respiratory, irritation (e.g., eyes, nose and throat), gastrointestinal , and skin symptoms than the non-exposed group. Moreover, all work-related symptoms were significantly more often reported by exposed than non-exposed workers. After adjustment for smoking status and age, the associations between exposure and respiratory, gastrointestinal, and skin symptoms remained statistically significant, in particular if these symptoms were work-related. Conclusions This study confirms that workers at compost facilities are at risk to develop occupational health problems, most likely related to organic dust exposure.

Sujets

• Belgium
• Compost
• Industry
• Occupational safety and health
• Laborer

Informations

• Publié par: biomed
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 14
• Langue: English

Extrait

Hambach et al. Archives of Public Health 2012, 70:13
http://www.archpublichealth.com/content/70/1/13 ARCHIVES OF PUBLIC HEALTH
RESEARCH Open Access
Work-related health symptoms among compost
facility workers: a cross-sectional study
1,2* 1 1 1,3 2 1Ramona Hambach , Jos Droste , Guido François , Joost Weyler , Ulrik Van Soom , Antoon De Schryver ,
2 1Jan Vanoeteren and Marc van Sprundel
Abstract
Background: Industrial composting is a relatively new and expanding activity. Several studies indicate that
compost workers are at risk to develop health symptoms. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of
work-related health symptoms among compost workers compared with control subjects.
Methods: A questionnaire was distributed among 62 workers (31 exposed and 31 non-exposed workers). Data
were analyzed using simple and multiple logistic regression analyses.
Results: Workers exposed to organic dust reported significantly more often respiratory, irritation (e.g., eyes, nose
and throat), gastrointestinal, and skin symptoms than the non-exposed group. Moreover, all work-related symptoms
were significantly more often reported by exposed than non-exposed workers. After adjustment for smoking status
and age, the associations between exposure and respiratory, gastrointestinal, and skin symptoms remained
statistically significant, in particular if these symptoms were work-related.
Conclusions: This study confirms that workers at compost facilities are at risk to develop occupational health
problems, most likely related to organic dust exposure.
Keywords: Belgium, Compost, Industry, Occupational health, Organic dust, Workers
Background The two types of waste are composted separately. VFG
Industrial composting is a relatively new and expanding waste is processed in closed buildings (indoor
compostactivity. In Europe, this expansion is partially related to ing)whereas green waste is composted outdoors.
European Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999, During the composting process, microorganisms (such as
which aims at reducing the amount of municipal solid bacteriaandfungi),their componentsandmetabolites,such
waste going to landfill. The composting process can be as endotoxins, ß-1,3 glucans, and mycotoxins, and their
defined as a controlled biological degradation of organic spores can be aerosolised as organic dust [2-4]. Several
waste under conditions that are predominantly aerobic. authors report that compost workers are often exposed to
This process results in a final product that can be applied very high levels of bioaerosols [4-6]. According to Wouters
for agricultural or horticultural purposes [1]. et al. (2006), the highest exposure concentrations of
bioaerThe compost industry in Flanders, Belgium, is a small osols are found in those jobs in which waste is intensively
sector wherein a limited number of people are employed. handled indoors [4].
The sector comprises 25 green (park and garden waste) As reviewed by Domingo et al. (2008), several studies
compost facilities (approximately 63 workers) and eight have investigated health effects of organic dust in compost
vegetable, fruit, and garden waste (VFG) compost facilities workers [5]. These workers are at risk of developing
re(approximately 72 workers) (personal communication: spiratory, influenza-like symptoms, gastroenterological
Wim Vanden Auweele, Vlaco, non-profit organization). complaints, and irritation of eyes, nose, and skin [2,6,7].
Yet, the mechanisms that may induce these health effects
* Correspondence: [e-mail] are still unclear [6].
1
Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Antwerp,
The aim of this study, carried out in Flanders,
BelUniversiteitsplein 1, Antwerp BE-2610, Belgium
2 gium, was to estimate the occurrence of work-relatedOccupational Health Service, Mensura, Antwerp, Belgium
Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
© 2012 Hambach et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Hambach et al. Archives of Public Health 2012, 70:13 Page 2 of 5
http://www.archpublichealth.com/content/70/1/13
health symptoms among VFG compost workers in three least one of the following symptoms: respiratory
sympindoor facilities, compared with a non-exposed control toms (dry cough, phlegm, wheezing, chest tightness),
population. irritation symptoms (runny eyes, blocking of nose, runny
nose, sore throat, tickling nose or sneeze),
gastroenteroMethods logical symptoms (nausea, lack of appetite, pyrosis), and
The study design was cross-sectional. The Medical Eth- skin symptoms (skin rash). Symptoms were considered
ics Committee of the University of Antwerp approved work-related if they were reported by the workers as
this study. A total of 62 male full-time workers partici- being provoked or aggravated during their work
pated. All participants gave their written informed (question ”Do you experience these symptoms during or
consent. shortly after work?”).
Two Belgian External Occupational Health (OH) ser- Data were analyzed using simple and multiple logistic
vices (also called ‘external services for prevention and regression analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95%
confiprotection at work’) were approached through the pro- dence intervals (CIs) not including the value 1 were
fessional network of the involved investigators and considered to be statistically significant. Statistical
anaagreed to collaborate. Both are non-profit organisations, lyses were performed using SPSS for Windows, v15.0
authorized by the Belgian labour legislation to provide (SPSS, Inc, Chicago, Ill).
occupational safety and health services to workers and
employers [8]. Results
Each OH service proposed affiliated VFG compost com- The distributions of the population characteristics are
panies to be included for the study. Selection criteria were presented in Table 1. Exposed workers were younger
daily exposure to organic dust and voluntary participation. and had a shorter seniority as compared with the
nonThe exposure group comprised 31 male workers from exposed group. Furthermore, there were more current
three VFG indoor compost facilities located in Flanders, smokers among the exposed than among the
nonwho worked almost exclusively in the compost hall, e.g., exposed workers, whereas non-exposed participants had
as a wheel loader driver, and/or as cleaning, and/or main- more frequently stopped smoking or more frequently
tenance, and/or technical personnel and/or process oper- never smoked than exposed participants. There were
ator. All of them carried out more than one of these tasks also differences in the prevalence of doctor-diagnosed
(job rotation). In addition, a non-exposed group with a (dd) allergy but not in dd asthma. Finally, more than half
similar socio-economic status (n=31) was selected among of the participating exposed workers did not wear a
prowarehouse workers at a pharmaceutical and surgical vis- tective mask.
coelastics manufacturing plant, equally situated in Flan- Table 2 shows the prevalence of reported individual
ders. Selection criteria for the non-exposure group (one symptoms and symptom groups by exposure group. All
company) were no exposure to organic dust and chemical symptom groups and nearly all individual symptoms
(including no exposure to diesel exhaust from forklifts) or
biological agents, and voluntary participation. All selected Table 1 Study population characteristics according to
companies and workers participated in the study. In occupational organic dust exposure status, in numbers
addition, all facilities were located within a radius of (percentages between brackets) (unless stated otherwise)
30 kmfrom each other. Characteristics No exposure Exposure
Data collection by questionnaire was incorporated into Number of employers 31 31
the annual medical examination of the personnel by the Male 31 (100) 31 (100)
occupational health services between October and De- aMean age, years (s.e.) 43.8 (1.7) 37.1 (1.4)
cember 2005. All participants completed a validated a
Seniority, years (s.e.) 10.9 (1.5) 7.0 (0.8)
questionnaire on compost-related health problems
Smoking status
developed by the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences
Never 17 (54.8) 13 (41.9)(IRAS) from Utrecht University [9]. The questionnaire
Ex 10 (32.3) 7 (22.6)inquired, among other things, on symptoms suggestive
Current 4 (12.9) 11 (35.5)of respiratory allergies and chronic respiratory
sympbAsthma (dd) 2 (6.5) 2 (6.5)toms such as cough, wheezing, dyspnoea, and phlegm
bproduction. In addition, a number of questions Allergy (dd) 4 (12.9) 1 (3.2)
concerned irritation of eyes, nose, skin and gastroentero- Personal protective equipment
logical symptoms. Finally, information was obtained on P3 class mask - 12 (38.7)
job history, working conditions and smoking habits of
Gloves - 31 (100)
the participants. Individual symptoms were aggregated as.e.: standard error.
binto several symptom groups when workers reported at dd: doctor-diagnosed.Hambach et al. Archives of Public Health 2012, 70:13 Page 3 of 5
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Table 2 Prevalence of symptoms (work-related or