(Time: 60)
You use guards to prevent power take-off accidents, you wear a hat to shield the sun, and heavy clothes protect you from cuts and scrapes. But what kind of protection are you giving your lungs?
Routine farm tasks are performed around dirt, grain dust, molds, pollen, animal dander, welding fumes and diesel exhaust. And every day, those particles enter your lungs.
You may not notice the effects now, but over time these conditions can lead to what has been called "farmer's lung," the farming equivalent of the miner's "black lung" disease.
The simplest way to prevent farmer's lung is to wear an air-purifying respirator whenever you work in dusty or vapor-filled conditions. You might notice that you get fewer colds, don't tire as easily, or no longer wheeze, cough or become congested after working in dusty places.
Respirators aren't just for farmers who have breathing problems. They're for farmers who don't want to get them.
Check
out what a respirator can do for you. Call your local Extension
office today.
This radio public service announcement script was distributed by Iowa State University Extension as part of the Safe Farm Program. Safe Farm promotes health and safety in agriculture. It is funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Iowa State University, and a network of groups that serve Iowa farm workers and their families. Distribution date: February 1993
Disclaimer and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
