Organic dusts--from knowledge to prevention.

Vegetable, animal, and microbial aerosols (organic dusts) induce a variety of pulmonary disease and subjective symptoms. This review presents the pathology and clinical symptoms related to organic dust exposure. Most of the symptoms are related to inflammation, which is not unexpected in view of the many inflammatory agents present in organic dusts. Prevention is primarily a matter of dust control, information, and medical surveillance. In the future, specific agents like bacterial endotoxins should be controlled.