Occupational farm work activities influence workers' indoor home microbiome.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Farm work entails a heterogeneous mixture of exposures that vary considerably across farms and farmers. Farm work is associated with various health outcomes, both adverse and beneficial. One mechanism by which farming exposures can impact health is through the microbiome, including the indoor home environment microbiome. It is unknown how individual occupational exposures shape the microbial composition in workers' homes.

Objectives

We investigated associations between farm work activities, including specific tasks and pesticide use, and the indoor microbiome in the homes of 468 male farmers.

Methods

Participants were licensed pesticide applicators, mostly farmers, enrolled in the Agricultural Lung Health Study from 2008 to 2011. Vacuumed dust from particip

SUBMITTER: Dalton KR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10872285 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature