Grain Dust Allergies

 Gavilon grain is a processing outfit in Burley and apparently in direct opposition to so many businesses in the rest of the country, it wants to expand its operation by 13 million bushels a year. According to a permit application filed by Gavilon Grain with the Idaho Department of Environ-mental Quality, the Burley plant has a permit to process 10 million bushels of grain annually, but now processes 12 million bushes. It wants a new permit to increase its volume to 25 million.? The company is also applying for permits for five grain-grinding hammermills.

 That’s great news except that people living near the plant are complaining about dust. As if it’s not bad enough to have allergies to pollen in the springtime some of the neighbors are actually going through allergy testing. I know that many people are allergic to wheat, but I always thought that was a result of eating food with wheat in it…imagine what wheat dust could do…or corn dust. Just living next to the plant can apparently cause serious sneezing.

 I asked Kay Doyle, Gavilon's communication and planning analyst, how much dust was given off: “I don’t know exactly how much dust is given off but they have installed a mineral oil application control system.”

 I suppose that’s good but shudder to think what the symptoms would be if someone developed an allergy to mineral oil.