Grain handlers

It is now widely agreed that approximately 25% of the world s food crops are affected each year by variable levels of mycotoxins which can have considerable economic consequences for the crop, livestock producers, grain handlers, processors, consumers and indeed national economies (Miller, 1998). It has been conservatively estimated that annual losses in the US and Canada, as a result of mycotoxin occurrence, to the feed and livestock industries alone can be in the region of US 5 billion (Charmley et al., 1995). In developing countries, regular mycotoxin presence in the diet will also affect the human populations, causing morbidity and premature deaths. 

Later epidemiological and clinical investigations of grain handlers have documented a variety of symptoms which resulted frcm exposure to grain dust. The most ccmmonly reported symptoms in these studies included chronic cough, dyspnea, tightness across the chest and grain fever. In addition, reduced pulmonary function and pulmonary fibrosis were frequently noted. ... 

DoPico, G. A., et. al "Respiratory Abnormalities Among Grain Handlers," American Review of Respiratory Disease, 115 915-927 (1978). 

Donham KJ (1990) Health effects from work in swine confinement buildings. Am J Ind Med 17(l) 17-25 Dopico GA et al. (1984) Epidemiologic study of clinical and physiologic parameters in grain handlers of northern United States. Am Rev Respir Dis, 130(5) 759-765 doPico GA (1986) Health effects of organic dusts in the farm environment. Report on diseases. Am J Ind Med 10(3) 261-265... 

Kivity S et al. (1995) The characteristics of bronchial asthma among a young adult population. Chest 108(l) 24-27 Kleinfeld M (1974) A comparative clinical and pulmonary function study of grain handlers and bakers. Ann N Y... 

Zoonoses in Agriculture. Preventing the spread of disease to livestock handlers Controlling Grain Dust on Earms... 

Since the 1970s, NIR spectroscopy has provided the means to test wheat at delivery to handlers, merchants, or direct to the mill. For ground wheat, protein may be determined with three or four fixed filters 2180, 2100 (1940 required for corrected moisture basis), and either 1680 or 2230 nm. In countries with wheat grading systems, such as Australia, Canada, and the US, segregation is carried out on the basis of load-by-load NIR testing of growers deliveries at country silos. Nowadays, this is almost exclusively by whole grain instruments, the most popular of which is the FOSS Infratec. This type of instrument is calibrated with tens of thousands of samples and development of a model based on artificial neural networks (8, 9). 

A pier on the river Volga for loading grain shipments, often the place of free merrymaking by handlers of barges and others. 

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