Flour Dust — Workplace Exposure Limit Change

Flour dust is a potent respiratory sensitiser and the primary cause of baker's asthma, one of the most common forms of occupational asthma in developed countries. Sensitisation develops after repeated inhalation of flour proteins, particularly wheat alpha-amylase allergens, and is irreversible once established. Sensitised workers experience asthmatic symptoms including wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, and shortness of breath upon any subsequent flour dust exposure. Flour dust also causes occupational rhinitis, with symptoms of nasal congestion, sneezing, and rhinorrhoea often preceding the onset of asthma by months or years. Conjunctivitis from eye exposure is common. Chronic exposure to high concentrations causes progressive decline in lung function even in workers who do not develop sensitisation. Dermatitis from direct skin contact with flour and dough additives adds to the occupational health burden in bakery environments.

Personal air sampling using a calibrated pump at 2 L/min with an IOM inhalable sampler and pre-weighed glass fibre or PVC filter. Gravimetric analysis for total inhalable dust. Where allergen-specific quantification is required, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for wheat alpha-amylase can be performed on the same filter extract.