Background: Agricultural farmworkers are routinely exposed to high levels of airborne dust particles that have been linked to adverse health outcomes. Methods: This study measured personal and environmental exposures to dust particulates by farmworkers during harvesting activities. Farmers completed a workplace survey with regards to their health and safety awareness and practices and researchers observed general farm safety practices on selected farms using a checklist. Results: In this study, farmers were noted to commonly work extended hours and shifts during harvest due to rigid timing deadlines. Results showed that 40% of farmers were exposed to concentrations of inhalable particles greater than SafeWork Australia’s workplace exposure standards for grain dusts, assuming a 16 h working day over 5 shifts. Twenty-two percent were exposed to concentrations that were above the adjusted standard for 12 h shifts. Survey results showed that three-quarters of farm owners provided new workers with some type of induction related to farm safety, however this was mostly undertaken in an arbitrary manner. Despite noting that farming was a dusty occupation and reporting to use protective measures to reduce harmful dust exposures, no workers were observed to wear respiratory protection when working outside of the protection of a vehicle cabin. Conclusion: This study identified substantial gaps in health and safety knowledge among farm managers and workers, and improved education and training are highly recommended.

Agricultural operations routinely expose farm workers to high levels of soil dust and other airborne particulate matter that have been linked to adverse health outcomes. The main objective of this study was to investigate exposure to agricultural dust during seeding operations of Western Australian farm workers. Twenty-one wheat-belt farms were recruited to participate in the study. Data were collected over the six-week seeding period of April - June 2014. Each farm was visited once, and workers were asked to complete a workplace survey that asked questions related to minimizing exposure to agricultural dusts and occupational health and safety issues on their farm. Farmers were also asked to simultaneously participate in monitoring of personal exposure to inhalable or respirable dust along with real-time monitoring for particulate air pollution in their tractor cabin. Sampling was undertaken for 4-hrs. The results showed that, on average, Western Australian farmers were exposed to personal respirable dust concentrations above the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists recommended guideline values, with some farmers being exposed to concentrations up to seven times higher than the value for respirable dusts. In comparison, in-cabin dust concentrations were lower, although some individual tractors recorded intermittently higher levels, which might be attributed to the type of work activity or process being undertaken. Remaining in tractor cabins with closed doors and windows with properly maintained seals might minimize the infiltration of hazardous dusts and may provide some protection from dust exposures. Future research should focus on educating and providing farm owners and workers with more information on adopting work processes and procedures related to minimising harmful exposures to agricultural dusts.

Background: A growing body of epidemiological and clinical evidence has implicated air pollution as an emerging risk factor for cardiometabolic disease. Whilst individuals spend up to two-thirds of daily time in their domestic residential environment, very few studies have been designed to objectively measure the sub-clinical markers of cardiometabolic risk with exposure to domestic indoor air pollutants. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate associations between the components of domestic indoor air quality and selected sub-clinical cardiometabolic risk factors in a cohort of healthy adults living in Perth, Western Australia. Methods: One hundred and eleven non-smoking adults (65% female) living in non-smoking households who were aged between 35–69 years were recruited for the project. Study subjects were invited to participate in all sections of the study, which included: Domestic indoor air monitoring along with the concurrent 24 h ambulatory monitoring of peripheral and central blood pressure and measures of central hemodynamic indices, standardized questionnaires on aspects relating to current health status and the domestic environment, a 24 h time-activity diary during the monitoring period, and clinic-based health assessment involving collection of blood and urine biomarkers for lipid and glucose profiles, as well as measures of renal function and an analysis of central pulse wave and pulse wave velocity. Results: This study provides a standardized approach to the study of sub-clinical cardiometabolic health effects that are related to the exposure to indoor air pollution. Conclusion: The findings of this study may provide direction for future research that will further contribute to our understanding of the relationship that exists between indoor air pollution and sub-clinical markers of cardiometabolic risk.

It is well reported that individuals spend up to 90% of their daily time indoors, with between 60% to 90% of this time being spent in the home. Using a cross-sectional study design in a population of 111 healthy adults (mean age: 52.3 ± 9.9 years; 65% women), we investigated the association between exposure to total volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor residential environments and measures of central arterial stiffness, known to be related to cardiovascular risk. Indoor VOC concentrations were measured along with ambulatory measures of pulse pressure (cPP), augmentation index (cAIx) and cAIx normalized for heart rate (cAIx75), over a continuous 24-h period. Pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) was determined during clinical assessment. Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between measures of arterial stiffness and VOCs after adjusting for covariates. Higher 24-h, daytime and night-time cAIx was associated with an interquartile range increase in VOCs. Similar effects were shown with cAIx75. No significant effects were observed between exposure to VOCs and cPP or cfPWV. After stratifying for sex and age (≤50 years; >50 years), effect estimates were observed to be greater and significant for 24-h and daytime cAIx in men, when compared to women. No significant effect differences were seen between age groups with any measure of arterial stiffness. In this study, we demonstrated that residential indoor VOCs exposure was adversely associated with some measures of central arterial stiffness, and effects were different between men and women. Although mechanistic pathways remain unclear, these findings provide a possible link between domestic VOCs exposure and unfavourable impacts on individual-level cardiovascular disease risk.

Despite that large percentages of individual daily time is spent in the home, few studies have examined the relationship between indoor particulate matter (PM) exposure in residential settings with subclinical indicators of cardiovascular risk. This cross-sectional study investigated associations between exposure to fine (PM2.5) and ultrafine (UFP) PM in domestic indoor environments, with central blood pressure (BP) and component BP measures (pulse pressure, augmented pressure [AP], augmentation index [AIx], mean arterial pressure, pulse wave velocity [PWV]) in 40 non-smoking, otherwise healthy adults (58% women) living in Perth, Western Australia. Overall, in adjusted models, an interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5 was associated with a 3.2 mmHg (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.99, 5.45) higher diastolic BP, and a 1.8 mmHg lower AP (95%CI: − 3.63, − 0.01) and 0.4 m/s PWV (95%CI: − 0.80, − 0.08), respectively. For the UFP fraction, an IQR increase was associated with a 5.2% higher AIx (95%CI: 0.51, 9.97) and a 0.6 m/s lower PWV (95%CI: − 1.00, − 0.11).When stratified by sex, higher UFP concentrations were associated with higher DBP and lower PWV among women. Among men, higher UFP concentrations were associated with lower AP. Exposure to domestic indoor fine and ultrafine PM was associated with preclinical indicators of cardiovascular risk and some of these relationships were affected by sex. These findings contribute important evidence linking low-level residential indoor PM exposure with measurable impacts on cardiovascular physiology and may inform preventative recommendations as part of risk profiles for susceptible individuals.