Workers - Gristle: From Factory Farms to Food Safety - page 76

bringing home (more than) the bacon

workers in “typical” factory farms “where animals are densely
confined” are subjected to “dusts from the animals, their feed,
and their feces, ammonia. . .and hydrogen sulfide, which can
be hazardous” to their health. below are prevalence rates of
symptoms endured by pig factory workers.

symptom prevalence

cough 67%

sputum or phlegm 56%

scratchy throat 54%

runny nose 45%

burning or watering eyes 39%

headaches 37%

tightness of chest 36%

shortness of breath 30%

wheezing 27%

muscle aches and pains 25%

in Manure Pits , which covers the harmful effects of the chemicals
commonly found in these holding tanks.
Numerous studies have also documented such respiratory prob-
lems among factory farm workers as impaired respiratory func-
tion, chronic bronchitis, occupational asthma, and organic dust
syndrome. As many as 70 percent of factory farm workers suffer
from acute bronchitis and 25 percent develop chronic bronchitis.
Indeed, New Yorker writer Michael Specter said of his first visit
to a chicken farm: “I was almost knocked to the ground by the
overpowering smell of feces and ammonia. My eyes burned and so
did my lungs, and I could neither see nor breathe. . . . There must