Exposure to a mix of common airborne contaminants could lead to lung effects in women who work on farms
Exposure to a mix of common airborne agricultural contaminants could lead to lung effects in females, a new University of Saskatchewan (USask) study has uncovered.
Farmers are exposed daily to a variety of potential contaminants such as endotoxins (substances associated with certain bacteria) in dust, which are well-known to trigger lung inflammation and asthma. However, how endotoxins specifically impact women’s health is not well understood, particularly when there is also exposure to a herbicide called glyphosate, widely used in agricultural work.
Now, USask researchers have detected lung effects in female mice models just five days after a combined exposure, simulating the same quantity of endotoxins and herbicide farmers could breathe over a work week.
The team was able to take detailed images of the affected lungs thanks to the powerful X-rays of the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at USask.
These images showed that fluid had built up in the lungs during this short exposure period. The alveoli – the small air sacks that play a crucial role in breathing – also became thicker, overall showing more impact than that found in mice dosed only with a single contaminant.
These results were recently published in Scientific Reports as one of the first studies focusing on agricultural airborne exposure in female mice.
“Five days is a very short time but still we were able to pick up really fine nuances. The combination of endotoxins and glyphosate was making the lungs as thick, if not more,” said Gurpreet Aulakh, Fedoruk Chair in Imaging Science and associate professor in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at USask.
Read more on the CLS website