Introduction
There is growing concern about the impact on human health of living near large-scale hog confinement facilities. This matter has received a great deal of attention in recent years as the number of hogs raised in such buildings has increased and as the public has become more concerned about environmental issues in general. Whether or not large-scale hog farming is good for the economy has become a subject of heated debate in which economic and social as well as medical questions are raised. As this complex topic is discussed, care must be taken to avoid confusing the neighborhood health concerns with work-related health problems seen in hog confinement workers. There is much more information published about problems caused by working inside hog confinement facilities. Even though the characteristic hog odor is can be quite apparent in the neighborhood as well as in the barns, one cannot assume that the neighborhood exposure is sufficient to cause the same health problems that the workers experience from breathing the air inside the buildings. The effects of working in the hog confinement barn The effects of working in the hog confinement barn have been studied extensively by investigators in Canada, the US and in Europe. It has been known for some time that working in hog confinement facilities causes chronic or intermittent respiratory symptoms in approximately 1/3 of workers. These respiratory symptoms consist of cough (which may or may not be productive of phlegm), chest tightness, wheezing and shortness of breath with heavy exertion. Depending on the group of symptoms displayed, the subject may have chronic bronchitis, an
asthma-like syndrome, or exacerbation of pre-existing asthma. Very rarely, a true allergy to hogs develops that is associated with allergic asthma. The respiratory impairment associated with this work is usually not severe. However, even a small to moderate decrease in lung function can be problematic in workers who perform heavy physical labor. Hog confinement workers who smoke cigarettes are at risk for developing severe, disabling chronic lung disease. Cigarettes alone cause significant chronic respiratory disease (chronic bronchitis and emphysema) in about 20% of smokers. The negative effects of cigarette smoke and work in the hog barn environment are
additive.