Respirator Use Among US Farm Operators With Asthma: Results From the 2011 Farm and Ranch Safety Survey

Abstract

Objective-The purpose of this study was to estimate the national prevalence of respirator use among farm operators with farm work-related asthma and factors associated with respirator use.Methods-The authors examined the 2011 Farm and Ranch Safety Survey, a national survey collected from 11,210 actively farming farm operators in the United States. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPORs) of respirator use were calculated by demographic characteristics, farm characteristics, asthma characteristics, and selected exposures and hazards.Results-Among the estimated 2.2 million farm operators in 2011, 35.7% reported using a respirator in the past 12 months. Respirator use was significantly (P <.05) associated with age, marital status, sex, smoking status, farm value of sales, farm type, farm acreage, and geographic region. Operators who work with pesticides were 3.5 times more likely to use respirator than those who did not work with pesticides (P < .0001). Among those with current asthma, 60.8% of operators with farm work-related asthma used respirators compared with 44.4% of operators with non-farm work-related asthma (P = .03). Farm operators with farm work-related asthma who had an asthma attack at work were 11.3 times more likely to report respirator use than those who did not have an asthma attack at work (P = .03).Conclusions-Personal protective equipment, including respirators, is an approach to reducing respiratory exposures in agricultural settings, in particular among those with farm work-related asthma. Education for respirator use and evaluation for respirator tolerance should be considered.

Agriculture Occupational Exposures and Factors Affecting Health Effects

“…Several respondents elaborated on difficulties in respiratory PPE usage, indicating that paper dust masks were subject to clogging and/or becoming too damp from perspiration, while half-face masks were described as being too hot to wear, or too costly. These findings regarding inconsistent respiratory PPE usage were corroborated in a recent large-scale study utilizing the 2011 Farm and Ranch Safety Survey, where farm operators were assessed for respiratory use and asthma incidence [42]. In this study, less than 40% of farm operators reported utilizing respirators (defined as respirator or dust mask usage) in the past year.…”

“…The finding of increased respirator usage amongst crop vs. livestock farmers in the 2011 Farm and Ranch Safety Survey study [42] may be supported by outcomes identified in another recent study investigating the perceptions and knowledge of farm operators in the Midwestern US regarding respiratory PPE. In this study of nearly 300 farm operators, greater than 95% of farm operators were aware that use of respiratory PPE (defined as respirators/masks) would reduce dust-related exposures [43].…”

Self‐reported respiratory health symptoms and respiratory protection behaviors of young adult hog producers in the United States

“…In comparison, a respirator use survey conducted by NIOSH in 2001 found that only 5.8% of agricultural employees reported wearing a respirator in a 12‐month period 17 . More recent studies have found that 17%−48% of agricultural producers and workers report wearing respirators 18–21 . The findings from this study do indicate that the self‐reported use among respirators by these young adult producers is trending in a positive direction.…”

“…17 More recent studies have found that 17%−48% of agricultural producers and workers report wearing respirators. [18][19][20][21] The findings from this study do indicate that the self-reported use among respirators by these young adult producers is trending in a positive direction. It was unknown from the survey if these young adults considered "dusty environments" to be inside of the hog barn or housing.…”