A NIOSH-indexed study of rice and hay dust found bacteria, fungi, thermophilic actinomycetes, and elevated endotoxin in all samples. Rice dust had nearly three times the endotoxin concentration of hay dust in the study, and extracts of rice dust induced interleukin-1 production and activated human serum complement; the authors identified potential farmer’s-lung and respiratory-disease risk for exposed workers.
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Abstract · 1
Abstract · 1
Elevated endotoxin concentrations were found in all samples, the concentrations being nearly three times higher in the rice dust than in the hay dust samples. Extracts of both dusts induced IL1 production by monocytes ... Extracts of both dusts activated human serum complement ... workers exposed to the dusts may be at risk for farmer's lung or other respiratory diseases.