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Inhaling Flour

john m

By john m
in Doctors

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john m Newbie
john m
Posted

I was just diagnosed with celiac about 3 weeks ago. I have been working in a bakery for 17 years. Will inhaling all flour that floats around that place be harmful to my healing and could that have played a part in me getting it? Ive asked my dr but he said there hasnt been much research on that yet. he basically said eat gluten free... Thanks, john

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rosetapper23 Explorer
rosetapper23
Posted

I know of another person who also worked in a bakery for many years and who developed celiac disease (of course, it's unknown if the exposure caused it). He is so super-sensitive to gluten, he has to wear a mask just to go outside because of the possibility of flour wafting from restaurants and bakeries. Currently, his life is pretty Hellish, and he's trying to find a way to heal. He still has Dermatitis Herpetiformis all over his scalp and can't seem to be rid of it. He also wonders whether working in a bakery may have caused his super-sensitivity to gluten.

kenlove Rising Star
kenlove
Posted

I teach a class on fruit and product/recipe development at University of Hawaii culinary college and now, after getting celiac, have to wait a day after the bread class before I can teach. Had a lot of trouble from inhaling flour -- more than from accidental ingesting of gluten. I wish you luck.

I was just diagnosed with celiac about 3 weeks ago. I have been working in a bakery for 17 years. Will inhaling all flour that floats around that place be harmful to my healing and could that have played a part in me getting it? Ive asked my dr but he said there hasnt been much research on that yet. he basically said eat gluten free... Thanks, john

T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

Doc was right on the lack of research, but there's a lot of celiacs who have reported problems with inhaled gluten in areas where there is a high concentration in the air, like next to people baking with gluten flour.

I would very seriously consider a mask, at the very least. You can check with an allergist - there are certain masks that can be worn for people with severe allergies, and these filter the air coming in through the breather. They look a bit like a gas mask, though, I understand, so they're a bit extreme.

But it's probably better than getting a new job, if it gets too bad.

Re: if inhaled gluten caused celiac disease, just a personal opinion, but I doubt it. You are probably ingesting more gluten on a daily basis than you are inhaling, so if gluten in your system was going to trigger it, I'd bet on the actual food first, inhaled gluten second, you know?

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

While I have always has a hard time believing that walking down a bread aisle can cause a celiac-type reaction, an allergic reaction, if that's what you have, is a different beast. And any place with lots of flour in the air and on surfaces is bad for anybody with celiac or a wheat allergy. I would not want to work in a bakery.

richard

Diane-in-FL Explorer
Diane-in-FL
Posted

I know that I feel much better since retiring from my job. I worked for a Meals for the Elderly program. Our cook baked bread and rolls, cakes, etc. Good for them, not so good for me, I guess, as there was always flour everywhere. She is a messy cook and I had to be in the kitchen too, so I was exposed to it, even though I didn't eat the food.

Jenniferxgfx Contributor
Jenniferxgfx
Posted

I can't breathe in flour without a celiac reaction. I also can't touch the stuff without getting glutened, and I get blisters, too. I don't think your job caused it, but it definitely won't help it. :( are masks and gloves an option?

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john m Newbie
john m
Posted
  • Author

I can't breathe in flour without a celiac reaction. I also can't touch the stuff without getting glutened, and I get blisters, too. I don't think your job caused it, but it definitely won't help it. :( are masks and gloves an option?

I bought some masks at cvs but they dont seem to work that well... i also wear gloves when possible... what lead to my diagnosis is my hands were hurting and getting swollen so after a bunch tests they said it was celiac :( but i am still wondering if touching the flour is causing the pain and swelling... since going gluten free about 3 weeks ago i have noticed the pain has gone away but the swelling remains...

john m Newbie
john m
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for all responses :)

  • 4 weeks later...
jbunds Newbie
jbunds
Posted

wow! that is crazy! i work at a brewery, and although i am not exposed to the malt and the barely since i work in the store up front, but i fill up growlers at work and get beer on my hands. i dont have any reaction to it, i get really dry skin maybe, do you think that it is possible that it could eventually hurt me?

oceangirl Collaborator
oceangirl
Posted

I know I get glutened by high concentrations of flour in the air. I think it ends up in my gut as well as lungs because of (sorry) postnasal drip meaning whatever I breathe in also finds its way down my throat at times!

That is tough if you need to consider a new job, but... whenever a door closes?...

good health to you,

lisa

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