Miller’s lung
Whilst traditionally milled flour contains a lot of good nutrients, the actual process of milling can be very unhealthy for the miller. In particular millers are susceptible to a type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis called miller’s lung.
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is an inflammation of the lungs caused by inhaling foreign particles, in this case the presence of grain weevils. It can occur in various occupations, one of the best-known examples is in coal miners and is called black lung. However effectively any occupation which leads to repeated exposure to dust over a prolonged period can cause it. This has led to a variety of forms including bird-keeper’s lung, cheese-washer’s lung, coffee roaster’s lung, cedar asthma, farmer’s lung and miller’s lung.
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis was first recognised in 1713 in wheat reapers. The inhaling of dust – in the case of a miller, flour dust or dust from stored grains – causes an allergic reaction leading to inflammation. The initial exposure results in sensitisation: this is where the body forms antibodies. Repeated and prolonged exposure can then lead to hypersensitivity pneumonitis.