Leman: Occupational exposure among swine workers
Swine farm workers reported respiratory issues and skin conditions
23 March 2026
2 minute read
By: [Excerpts of a presentation by Gerardo R. Diaz and colleagues at the University of Minnesota, USA, during the 2025 Leman Swine Conference]
Understanding health outcomes in swine workers requires a multifactorial characterization of their exposures both at home and on the farm. As part of a swine worker microbiome study, a 20-minutes phone survey was conducted to gather information on demographics, health status, and occupational and non-occupational exposures among a sample of swine workers in the Midwest.
Forty-nine workers from four farms in Minnesota, two in Iowa and one in South Dakota were enrolled based on the following eligibility criteria: Employment on the farm for 3 months or longer; age between 18 and 60 years old; and no history of incarceration, hospitalization, or use of antibiotics, immunizations or immunosuppressants in the past 3 months.
Among the 49 respondents, 84% (31/49) were Spanish speakers, 65% (32/49) were male and the average age was 35.5 years (range: 22 – 59). Additionally, 63% (31/49) had a college degree and 6% (3/49) held a graduate degree.
The three most common self-reported respiratory conditions among workers were allergies or sinus problems (12%, 6/49), cough or sore throat (12%, 6/49), and infection of eye, ear, nose or throat (10%, 5/49). In addition, the three most common self-reported skin conditions were eczema (6%, 3/49), skin rashes (6%, 3/49), and skin allergies to latex or nitrile gloves (6%, 3/49). Workers also reported food or drug allergies: lactose intolerance (6%, 3/49), allergy to penicillin (6%, 3/49), and allergy to metamizole (2%, 1/49).
In the context of non-occupational exposures, the average swine worker household consisted of 2 adults (range: 1 – 6) and 1 child (range: 0 – 6), 45% (22/49) lived with another person who worked with animals, and 43% (21/49) had daily contact with other animals, mainly dog and cat pets. Also, 16% (8/49) were smokers (averaging 46 cigarettes per week) and 13% (6/49) were taking medication for a chronic disease.
The average lifetime occupational exposure to swine was 9 years (range: 3 months – 35 years). On their current jobs, workers physically handled an average of 605 pigs over 6 hours per day. The three most frequent job tasks on the farm were: performing euthanasia (94%, 46/49), housekeeping tasks in non-pig areas (93%, 45/49), and examining, diagnosing or treating swine (90%, 44/49). The three less common tasks were: working with piglets 3 days old or younger (61%, 30/49), obtaining bodily samples from swine (55%, 27/49), and performing administrative/office work (39%,19/49).
Regarding the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), 77% (37/49) always use disposable gloves, 22% (11/49) always wear either safety glasses or goggles, and 10% (5/49) always use a face mask of some kind. In addition, 100% (49/49) adhered to the showering-in and -out protocol and, on average, washed their hands 6 times per day while on the farm. This study summarizes a broad set of exposures, highlighting the need to consider additional factors when assessing health outcomes in swine farm workers.
