Workers exposure to ammonia and particles: Update on prevention and protection measures

Air quality inside pig and poultry housing is already known to be concentrated in ammonia and particles. Regular exposure is associated with a high prevalence of respiratory dysfunctions and pathologies such as chronic bronchitis or asthma. The aim of the project called QualiAir is to develop an assessment tool to (1) allow workers to evaluate the air quality inside buildings, (2) promote the implantation of techniques to prevent the exposure and (3) to provide advice to workers on the existence/use of personal protective equipment (PPE). A group of 24 farmers (pig and poultry) has been formed to be directly implicated in the test of the self-diagnostic tool. One step of the project was the elaboration of fact sheets highlighting (1) the different ways of reducing gas and particles concentrations inside building and (2) the different type of PPE, with a focus on strengths and weaknesses. To elaborate these fact sheets, two databases were developed. The first database (prevention database) focuses on the different ways limiting the concentration of ammonia and particles in the ambiance. For poultry production, more than 30 techniques were identified vs 40 for pig production. Each technique is classified into the HOT scale (H for human, O for organizational and T for technique). Efficiency on particle and/or ammonia was assessed based on literature data. Restrictions on implementation, cross-effects, consequences on working duration and physical difficulty, the need of training to implement the technique and the investment and running costs were filled for each technique. The second database (protection database) focuses on PPE, with almost 70 equipment listed. Each PPE is technically described with and without filter (name, trend, size, weight, design, price), classified in relation with the type of protection (gas, particles, both), indicating restrictions on mask wearing (glasses, beard, …). These two databases update the knowledge currently available on how to prevent and reduce worker exposure to ammonia and particulate matter. For the next step, several techniques and PPE will be selected and tested by the group of farmers involved in the project.