Farmers should always be mindful of the respiratory hazards and associated health concerns with exposure to dusts and molds during grain harvest and handling. This becomes especially important in a year like 2020 with the derecho windstorm, drought stress, and harvesting overly dry grain creating a higher potential for damaged and broken grain that could have more fines, dust and mold.
In this interview with Carolyn Sheridan, founder and executive director of Ag Health and Safety Alliance, she discusses what the respiratory hazards and health concerns are when working around dusty and moldy grain, as well as how to protect yourself with respiratory equipment. Also discussed are some common questions like how to know what type of mask you need, what might be a good alternative to N95 masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, what are the recommendations on reusing disposable N95 masks, and how to store respiratory equipment.
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