lung disease caused by inhaling bagasse (sugarcane dust) and marked by fever, malaise, and difficulty in breathing; also called bagasscosis.
A lung disease characterized by inflammation of the alveoli in the lungs. Bagassosis is caused by exposure to a certain mold found on sugar cane and sugar beets and their products. The disease is a form of allergic alveolitis.
An industrial lung disease occurring’ in those who work with bagasse, which is the name given to the broken sugar cane after sugar has been extracted from it. Bagasse, which contains 6 per cent silica, is used in board-making. The inhalation of dust causes an acute lung affection, and subsequently in some cases a chronic lung disease.
A form of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, due to inhalation of bagasse dust, the moldy, dusty fibrous waste of sugar cane after removal of the sugar-containing sap. The dust contains antigens from thermophilic actinomycetes.
Bagassosis, an occupational ailment, affects the respiratory system of laborers who come into contact with mold-infested bagasse, the fibrous residue left behind after sugarcane juice extraction. This condition serves as one of the triggers for allergic alveolitis, which is the lungs’ reaction to inhaling dust laden with fungal spores. Following inhalation, symptoms typically manifest within a span of four to five hours and may encompass difficulties in breathing, wheezing, fever, headache, and coughing. The duration of these symptoms tends to be around 24 hours. Prolonged exposure to the dust can result in irreversible damage to the lungs. Fortunately, the implementation of precautionary measures within the industry has significantly minimized the occurrence of this disease.