Prevention, diagnosis and management of the allergy risk in agriculture

The agricultural sector represents a working environment in which nowadays allergies, mainly respiratory, are widely spread. In some cases, ubiquitous risk factors are involved, yet with a particular importance in the agricultural sector due to specific working occasions and housing conditions (see, for example, various pollens, mites and Hymenoptera). In other cases, specific risks arise mainly from the particular environmental conditions of the sheds allocated to the animals breeding or to the various cereals and fodder deposits. The result is the exposure to dust arising from the treated materials and the microbial and fungal agents present as pollutants. The underlying mechanisms of respiratory manifestations in the agricultural environment are still under study and have conflicting aspects. The agricultural sector still has, even in the developed countries, obvious lacks regarding both primary and secondary prevention. The main lack is present in the information and training activities which have proved to be efficient also in this occupational field. We will present some upgrading on the mentioned topics.