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Capital Press Editorial Board.
Friday, March 8, 2019
Opinion
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the opinions of the authors but
not necessarily this newspaper.
Editor & Publisher
Managing Editor
Joe Beach
Carl Sampson
opinions@capitalpress.com | CapitalPress.com/opinion
Our View
GUEST VIEW
Cory Stengel
Ag Safety Week
focus: hearing
protection
D
Researchers take on
gluten, celiac disease
A
t its roots, research is aimed at solving prob-
lems. In agriculture, those problems can range
from small to large.
Among the largest problems facing wheat produc-
ers and those who use wheat in their products are celiac
disease and gluten intolerance.
In a sense, solving this problem is the Holy Grail of
wheat-related research.
Celiac disease prevents those who have it from
digesting gluten, which is found in varying amounts
in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. The disease is
found in millions of Americans and causes the body’s
immune system to react and for sufferers to experience
nausea, cramps and other health problems.
In addition to those who have been diagnosed with
celiac disease, other people are sensitive to gluten. This
sensitivity causes a variety of symptoms similar to
those of celiac disease.
The controversy surrounding gluten and who can and
cannot eat it has spread around the world. Nowadays,
restaurants and grocery stores domestically and abroad
offer items that are “gluten free.”
To many consumers, “gluten” has become a four-let-
ter word. To wheat farmers, it has become a cause for
concern and has cut into the demand for their crop.
During the past few weeks, however, researchers
have announced breakthroughs that could mean celiac
patients and others may one day be able to enjoy bread,
cakes, crackers or any other foods made with wheat and
not have to worry about their reaction to gluten.
Sachin Rustgi, a researcher at Clemson University
in South Carolina and Washington State University,
has been developing wheat that changes the way peo-
ple digest gluten. Working in concert with scientists in
France, China and Chile, he was able to insert DNA
from barley and a bacterium into wheat so it creates
enzymes that break down gluten.
The tactic is similar to the one used by many celiac
sufferers, who take an enzyme pill before every meal to
avoid problems.
“By packing the remedy to wheat allergies and glu-
ten intolerance right into the grain, we’re giving con-
sumers a simpler, lower-cost therapy,” he said in a
WSU press release.
Using a gene-editing technique called CRISPR, he
also hopes to develop wheat varieties that have no glu-
ten at all. CRISPR technology allows researchers to
edit wheat’s DNA and doesn’t involve adding DNA
from other organisms.
Other researchers in diverse places such as Kansas
and the Netherlands are also working on gluten-free
wheat.
These developments are still years from the mar-
ketplace. They need to be thoroughly tested before the
USDA or other agencies will approve them. Even then,
they must meet the expectations of consumers, who
must understand and embrace the benefi ts of wheat
that even celiac sufferers can eat without fear of getting
sick.
We have long voiced our support for all types of
research. In this case, it appears researchers are on the
verge of breakthroughs that will profoundly impact
consumers and farmers, benefi tting both.
That type of research will ultimately have a return
whose value cannot be measured in dollars.
READERS’ VIEW
Give wolves their
own island
You have done a magnifi cent
job of presenting every aspect
of roaming wolves vs. estab-
lished cattle herds.
You new editorial says
ranchers must learn meth-
ods and manage cattle around
wolves — that is backwards.
The four environmental groups
involved in the initial release
and non-control of expanding
wolfpacks must learn to keep all
wolves at least 10 miles away
from from any and all sheep
and cattle. If they do not do this,
they are guilty of animal cruelty
— killing of cattle and hazing
of wildlife.
We all know about the exist-
ing perfect packs, which are in
wilderness without any access
to cattle. They are the only
ones worthy of tourist observa-
tion. CBS’ “60 Minutes” sug-
gested falsely that wolves are
wonderful in all their existence
and are serving to attract many
tourists for observation. These
comments come at the same
LETTERS POLICY
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Send letters via email to opinions@capitalpress.com. Emailed letters
are preferred and require less time to process, which could result in
quicker publication. Letters also may be sent to P.O. Box 2048, Salem,
OR 97308.
moment wolves were eating
sheep and cattle alive!
One legislator suggests
moving wolves to an island
off Seattle. That is one perfect
solution. If a lot of wolves are
humanely confi ned, they could
be fed the many elk from herds
which you correctly report are
menacing farmlands and towns.
Wolves are not deserving of
“endangered” status because
they are multiplying at fright-
ening rates, partly due to alphas
being shot so that subordinates,
which otherwise would not be
breeding, are doing so.
So much of this is caught
up in the courts that it will
never be solved. The alter-
native I chose to initiate as
a solution was to alert Dep-
uty Solicitor of the Interior
Department Karen Budd-
Falen, as introduced to me via
your Oct. 28 issue.
It was after I wrote her that
you presented the intelligent
plan of letting wolves live on
their own island, complete with
natural borders to enclose them.
This is the most excellent idea
presented so far.
Vivian Thompson
Morro Bay, Calif.
‘More’ forest
access not
requested
I appreciate the article
y’all wrote about the exemp-
tion request from the 2005
Travel Management Rule for
the Wallowa Whitman & Mal-
heur National Forests. The title
of the article, however, is mis-
leading and I think it deserves a
correction.
Nowhere in the exemp-
tion do the commissioners ask
for “more” access. They very
clearly state they want to pro-
tect access as it currently exists.
The title of the article allows
environmental groups to fan the
fl ames of discord over motor-
ized access when they see the
word “more” when no such
request is being made.
John George
Bates, Ore.
uring Agricultural Safety
Awareness Week (March
3-9), the Oregon Farm
Bureau Health & Safety Commit-
tee reminds farmers and ranchers to
remember the importance of hearing
protection.
Noise that’s common in agricul-
ture-related jobs can affect health in
many ways, in addition to hearing
loss. Prolonged noise exposure can
quicken the pulse rate, increase blood
pressure and narrow blood vessels.
Over a long period of time, this may
place an added burden on the heart.
Noise can also cause abnormal
secretions of hormones and tens-
ing of muscles. People who deal
with noise every day may complain
of nervousness, sleeplessness and
fatigue. Job performance may also
suffer when people are exposed to
high levels of noise.
Loud noise is the most common
cause of permanent hearing loss —
and the full extent of damage may not
be apparent for years. Unfortunately,
noise-induced hearing loss does not
heal and cannot be corrected by hear-
ing aids.
However, it can be prevented.
If you have to shout, yell, or speak
loudly to talk to someone who is 3
feet away, you are working around
noise levels that necessitate hearing
protection because you are at risk for
noise-induced hearing loss over time.
The following are signs that noise
may pose a risk to your hearing:
• You have to shout to make your-
self heard during work.
• You have ringing in your ears
after you leave work.
• You have diffi culty hearing nor-
mal speech and other sounds after
work.
Most hearing specialists agree:
You can damage your hearing if you
are continually exposed to noise
greater than 85 decibels over eight
hours. As noise levels rise above
85 decibels, the safe exposure time
for unprotected ears falls dramati-
cally. For example, 110-decibel noise
can impair hearing after just 15 min-
utes of exposure. For most farmers
and ranchers, the work day goes way
beyond 9 to 5. The longer the expo-
sure to noise is, the lower the num-
ber of decibels needed to induce hear-
ing loss.
If you can’t eliminate or control
the noise, then look to personal pro-
tective equipment, such as earmuffs,
earplugs and canal caps. These can all
reduce the amount of noise exposure
from common farm sounds like trac-
tor idling, barn cleaners, conveyers,
and grain elevators — all of which
are in the decibel danger zone.
Following are some general
guidelines for farmers and ranchers
to help safeguard their hearing, cour-
tesy of University of Maine Cooper-
ation Extension.
• Use hearing protection on all
noisy jobs, the minute the activity
begins.
• Regard quiet operation as a
“plus” value when shopping for trac-
tors, machinery, or other equipment
(this includes household appliances).
• Keep machinery and equipment
well-lubricated and maintained. Reg-
ularly tighten all components.
• Replace defective muffl ers and
exhaust system parts. Do not use a
“straight pipe” exhaust for tractors or
other engines. This type of exhaust
does not increase power very much
and often emits sound levels that can
damage hearing.
• Consider enclosing noisy com-
ponents or building acoustic barri-
ers or heavy partitions for stationary
equipment.
• Stay away from noisy equip-
ment when you don’t need to control
or tend it.
• Limit the duration of noise
exposure if you are without hear-
ing protection. Put yourself and your
ears as far away from a noise source
as possible.
No one is ever too young or too
old to suffer from the effects of hear-
ing loss from noise. Take steps today
to safeguard your hearing, and your
employees’ hearing, on the farm or
ranch.
Cory Stengel is chair of the Oregon
Farm Bureau Health & Safety Com-
mittee, a fourth-generation farmer,
and member of Deschutes County
Farm Bureau.