I imagine this may be an issue for those of you still mixing powdered 
infant formula in hospital setting... not you personally of course, but 
your units!  :-)

- - - - -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7304976.stm

Wheeze 'link' to baby milk powder

*Prolonged exposure to baby milk powder increases the risk of breathing 
problems, including wheezing and breathlessness, a study has found. *

It looked at 170 Thai factory workers who made the powder, but the team 
from University of Birmingham says the risk could also apply to nannies.

Mothers and babies are safe, because they have relatively little exposure.

But the study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, says 
at-risk workers should be monitored.

It is already known that consuming milk powder can lead to the 
development of an allergy if a child has an intolerance to cow's milk 
but the potential risks of inhaling milk powder have never before been 
studied.

In this research, a team from the Institute of Occupational and 
Environmental Medicine at the University of Birmingham and Thailand's 
Mahidol University looked at just under 170 workers in a Thai baby milk 
factory.

The factory had high hygiene standards, and concentrations of milk 
powder dust were relatively low.

The majority - 130 - were directly involved in manufacturing and 
packaging baby milk. Another 22 were responsible for adding vitamins to 
the milk and 15 were quality controllers.

The researchers compared these workers' health with that of 76 office 
workers using a questionnaire and lung function tests.

*Baking link *

Twice as many people who worked with milk powder had symptoms, with 24% 
experiencing wheezing and 33% having breathlessness compared to 12% and 
16% of the office workers.

The difference remained even when the researchers took other factors, 
such as smoking, into account.

Lung function tests also showed a significant reduction in how strongly 
milk powder workers were able to breathe out.

Those working with the powder were also found to be twice as likely to 
have had asthma.

The researchers, led by Dr Maritta Jaakkola, say the results suggest the 
workers are hyper-sensitive to the powder, rather than simply irritated 
by it.

Dr Jaakkola said: "The effects of inhaled milk powder are relevant for 
occupational settings, so workers with such exposure should be protected 
as much as possible using exposure control measures, such as wearing 
latex gloves.

"They should also have regular check-ups of their respiratory health.

"Nannies, and bakers, both groups who are exposed to milk powder during 
their working life, may also benefit from respiratory tests."

But Leanne Male, assistant director of research at Asthma UK said the 
levels of powder a person would need to be exposed to in order to suffer 
breathing problems would have to be high, and reassured mothers they 
would not be affected.

Ms Male said the risk was highest for people who manufactured the powder.

She added: "This research highlights the dangers of occupational asthma 
and the need for employers to recognise potential triggers in the 
workplace."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/7304976.stm

Published: 2008/03/25 01:24:15 GMT

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