The fact that there was no variation in respiratory
symptoms among different regions in Iceland or based on
type of livestock used would indicate that any possible
improvement in respiratory health of farmers is likely to
be due to factors impacting on the Icelandic farming
population in general rather than regional factors. One
such factor is the uniform change in Icelandic farming
practices over the past two decades toward utilizing
vacuum-sealed plastic wraps for storing hay. Other
significant changes include increased automation, the
consolidation of smaller farms into larger units and
increased levels of education. While improved methods of
storing hay and decreased exposure to dust with increased
automation are attractive as an explanation to the findings
of our study, nothing is currently known about organic
dust levels in Icelandic animal farms and the potential
length of exposure among farm workers. Farmers’ poor
respiratory health in the past has been associated with
inhalation of organic dust, a complex mixture of environmental
pollutants that contains a number of inflammatory
mediators.1,6 This is therefore an important factor to
explore further.