A team of researchers from University of Birmingham says the risk could also apply to nannies and bakers. The team looked at 170 Thai factory workers who made the powder and are exposed to milk powder during their working life.
The factory had high hygiene standards, and concentrations of milk powder dust were relatively low. However as many as 130 workers 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. It was concluded that twice as many people who worked with milk powder had symptoms. Nearly 24 percent experienced wheezing and 33 percent had breathlessness.
The study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, also said that such workers also suffered from the dangers of occupational asthma. It urged the employers to recognize potential triggers in the workplace, BBC reports.
