Occupational risk factors for work-related disorders in greenhouse workers

Abstract

Aim This study reviews the evidence on the association between working in greenhouses and the occurrence of muscelosckeletal, reproductive and respiratory disorders, dermal effects, cancer and neurobehavioral effects. Subjects and methods PUBMED, MEDLINE and EBSCO literature bases were searched to identify epidemiological studies conducted over 1996-2006 that focused on the health outcomes of greenhouse workers. Three exclusion criteria were used to limit the selection to studies with quantitative assessment of the association between workrelated risk factors and health disorders: lack of data on work-related risk factors, lack of a suitable risk estimate for work-related risk factors or of sufficient information that allowed calculation of a risk estimate and serious methodological concerns in relation to the purpose of this review (strong selection bias, very low response rate, recall bias). Results The analysis indicates that greenhouse exposure is associated with an increased risk of respiratory disorders, sensitization to allergens and skin reactions. Exposure to dust, bacteria, allergens, fungi and gases may cause or exacerbate asthma, asthma-like syndrome, mucous membrane irritation, chronic bronchitis and dermatitis. The results of the review showed that male workers employed in greenhouse horticulture for more than 10 years had a decreased median sperm concentration. The data on the effect of working in greenhouses on the time to pregnancy are unequivocal, but most of them indicate a relationship between a decreased fecundability ratio and greenhouse work, this referring mostly to pesticide exposure. There are also some indications that greenhouse work may contribute to musculoskeletal and neurobehavioral disorders, but only a few epidemiological studies have corroborated these

The Mersin Greenhouse Workers Study. Surveillance of Work-related Skin, Respiratory, and Musculoskeletal Diseases

“…The main hazards of working in greenhouses include: injury from materials, problems related to working position, chemicals including pesticides, endotoxins, dusts, and work at height [410]. Dermatitis, musculoskeletal complaints, respiratory system diseases, and neurological diseases are the most common diseases among greenhouse workers [11]. However, the number of studies on health and safety issues of greenhouse workers is limited.…”

Risk Factors among Greenhouse Farmers in Gaza Strip

“…Some farmers (31%, n = 52) revealed that their internal clothes have the same odor of pesticide solution at the end of working day. We found about 11 insecticides are commonly used in greenhouses for insects, nematodes and mites control, with application rates ranged from 1 -2.5 kg/ha ( [34] who reviewed the evidence on the association between working in greenhouses and the occurrence of and respiratory disorders and indicated that greenhouse exposure is associated with an increased risk of respiratory disorders, sensitization to allergens and skin reactions. Further supports to our hypothesis come from the work of Liu et al [33] who evaluated the prevalence of farmer's lung disease (FLD) and revealed that prevalence of FLD among these farmers was 5.7% (308/5420) and the risk factors for FLD were years of age, shorter time interval for re-entry greenhouse, ventilation frequency of greenhouse.…”

“…They revealed that prevalence of FLD among these farmers was 5.7% (308/5,420) and the risk factors for FLD were years of age, shorter time interval for re-entry greenhouse, ventilation frequency of greenhouse. Earlier, Jurewicz et al [34] reviewed the evidence on the association between working in greenhouses and the occurrence of and respiratory disorders. They indicated that greenhouse exposure was associated with an increased risk of respiratory disorders, sensitization to allergens and skin reactions.…”

Effects of Metallic Elements on Reproduction and Development

“…A number of groups have reviewed the association between the exposure to specific chemicals or groups of chemicals and TTP, and support the notion that environmental exposure may be hazardous for human fertility (Sallmen, 2001;Jensen et al, 2006;Jurewicz et al, 2007). However, these reviews all focused on the effects, mainly in males, of exposure to a specific chemical or a group of chemicals on fertility or reproductive function rather than focusing on the broader spectrum of chemical exposures and their effects on TTP in both men and women.…”