NIOSH reported that spice dust exposure can cause health problems through inhalation and skin contact, and noted irritant and allergenic properties; employees grinding spices had higher inhalable-dust exposures and reported occasional upper-respiratory irritation.
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page 2 · Background · 3
page 2 · Background · 3
The store contained hundreds of types of spices, but only certain spices were ground on site. These included cinnamon, pepper, ginger, cloves, allspice, mushrooms, fermented black garlic, coriander, cumin, and mustard. Cinnamon was the most common spice that was ground on site. ... Exposure to spice dusts has been reported to cause human health problems through inhalation and skin contact. ... Because of the irritant and allergenic properties of spice dust, from a health perspective, the PEL for PNOR does not adequately protect the health of employees.