Endotoxin Exposure and Genetic Factors in Organic Dust Lung Disease
Principal Investigator: Steve Reynolds, Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
Co-Investigators: Jim Burch, Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University
Niels Koehncke, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
John Tessari, Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University
Tom KKeefe, Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University
Dean Lillquist, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Dave Schwartz, Duke University, Durham, NC
Dan Lewis, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV
More than one million farm workers in the United States are at risk of developing lung disease resulting from dust exposure. There is a critical need for more scientific research related to agricultural dust exposures. Scientists at the Colorado State University High Plains Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (HICAHS) have developed a project to study this problem in collaboration with several universities and regional corn producers. The long term goal of HICAHS is to perform research focusing on the prevention of disease among agricultural workers and their families.
There are several things we hope to accomplish in this study. One goal is to identify a method for measuring the most unhealthy component of agricultural dust, known as endotoxin. When a worker is exposed to endotoxin, the body’s natural defense mechanism (the immune system) reacts to it. This immune reaction can produce symptoms such as wheezing and coughing. Over a long period of time, reactions to endotoxin can lead to the development of lung disease. HICAHS scientists found very high concentrations of endotoxin in corn handling facilities and have identified people who work in these areas as a priority for more research. There is currently no good method for measuring endotoxin and no way to determine what level is harmful for farm workers to breathe. In this study, the team of scientists wants to identify a measurement method that is most closely linked with changes in farm worker’s lungs. This will be done by asking people about their work-related symptoms, testing how well their lungs work, and by measuring how each person’s immune system reacts to endotoxin exposures on the job.
Not everyone reacts to this exposure in the same way. Some people are more sensitive to the effects of corn dust. The research team hopes to develop new methods for identifying people who are the most sensitive. To do this, they will look for differences in people’s DNA. DNA is present in every cell of the body and defines each person’s genetic code. The genetic code not only determines what we look like (hair and eye color, for example) but also determines how the immune system responds to dust exposure.
In summary, the primary goals of this study are to: 1) characterize exposure to endotoxin-containing corn dust in a population of workers; 2) evaluate respiratory symptoms, lung function, and immune markers in the same population; 3) identify a measurement method for endotoxin that is the best predictor of these responses; and 4) measure genetic markers to identify workers with increased endotoxin sensitivity. The goal is to recruit 250 workers from farms and corn elevators in Colorado and Utah. Participation involves wearing a portable air monitor over one work shift, and completing a medical exam and questionnaire. Each participant will be awarded $20 in compensation. All personal information obtained from the study will be considered strictly confidential. An informed consent process approved by the CSU human subjects review board will be used. Each participant will be assigned a unique identification number so that their individual data will be coded. No personal information will be released, and reports of the study results will not identify individual participants. Upon request, each participant may receive a copy of their own results, and an overall study summary.