Occupational asthma: coming of age
Some major occupational causes of reflex bronchoconstriction include exposure to cold air, subtoxic concentrations of sulfur dioxide, fluorocarbons, and various inert dusts. Toxic gases, such as sulfur dioxide, the halogens, ammonia, acid fumes, and solvent odors cause inflammatory bronchoconstriction. Occupational substances that mimic the dose-dependent effects of pharmacologic agonists include histamine releasing agents in the bracts of cotton dust, organic acids in wood dusts, diisocyanates, and anticholinesterase chemicals. The greatest number of occupational agents causing asthma have known or suspected allergenic properties. In this group the most significant sensitizing agents are proteins derived from various animal sources. The incidence of asthma induced by small-molecular-weight inorganic chemicals is also expanding. Representative examples of this group include antibiotics, sulfonechloramide, diisocyanates, platinum salts, and a number of reactive anhydride compounds. Occupational asthma is becoming a major occupational health problem. Reversal of this trend is possible and can be implemented by special attention to several recommendations. Better record-keeping should be encouraged by labor, management, and government agencies. More research support should be allotted for development of valid susceptibility profiles and objective diagnostic techniques that might be useful for prescreening purposes and early diagnosis. When warranted by specific oocupational conditions, serial physiologic and immunologic monitoring should be done and encouraged by both management and labor. (JMT)
- OSTI ID:
- 6721022
- Journal Information:
- Ann. Intern. Med.; (United States), Vol. 97:1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ANHYDRIDES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
ANTIBIOTICS
ASTHMA
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
ORGANIC FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
PLATINUM
SULFUR DIOXIDE
TOLUENE
EPIDEMIOLOGY
IMMUNOLOGY
ANTI-INFECTIVE AGENTS
AROMATICS
CHALCOGENIDES
DISEASES
DRUGS
ELEMENTS
HYDROCARBONS
METALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLATINUM METALS
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR OXIDES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
560306* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Man- (-1987)