This is a final research report from Hort Innovation’s historical archives. Please note that as these reports may date back as far as the 1990s, the content and recommendations within them may be superseded by more recent research.

What was it all about?

Through an extensive review of the scientific literature, the project aimed to provide advice to the mushroom industry on the risks of allergic responses, in particular Mushroom Workers’ Lung (MWL), to an individual exposed to bacteria and fungi in compost dust, the bioaerosol. The major portion of this project was a  literature review which added to the information available at the time to the mushroom industry. Updating the literature ensured that a contemporaneous document was available to the industry to determine whether the difficulties faced by diagnosticians to positively identify individuals suffering with MWL still existed. The report also reviewed the literature in which recommendations were made on how to minimise exposure to bioaerosols in the work area and the procedures to follow to recognize potential health problems in those rare individuals who were sensitive to the antigen(s) found in the workplace.