Work-related asthma from cleaning agents versus other agents.

BACKGROUND: Cleaning agents have been commonly implicated as causative or triggering factors in work-related asthma (WRA), mainly from epidemiologic studies. Relatively few clinical series have been reported. AIMS: We aimed to compare socio-demographic and clinical features among tertiary clinic patients with WRA exposed to cleaning and non-cleaning products. METHODS: Analyses were conducted on a patient database containing 208 patients with probable WRA referred to the asthma and airway centre at a tertiary centre hospital in Canada from 2000 to 2014. Chi-squared and independent samples t-tests were used to analyse categorical and continuous data, respectively. RESULTS: Twenty-two (11%) WRA cases were attributed to a variety of cleaning product exposures, 12 were diagnosed as occupational asthma (OA) and 10 as work-exacerbated asthma (WEA) (10% of all OA and 11% of all WEA). There were multiple exposures and the responsible agent(s) could seldom be clearly identified. Most frequent categories of exposure were surfactants, alcohols, disinfectants and acids. Compared to WRA with other exposures, those with cleaning agent exposures had a significantly larger proportion of females (82 versus 35%, P < 0.001), included a higher percentage of workers in healthcare (41 versus 4%, P < 0.001), and submitted more workers' compensation claims (86 versus 64%, P = 0.05). Other characteristics were comparable. CONCLUSIONS: In a tertiary referral clinic, patients with WRA from cleaning agent exposure had clinical characteristics that were similar to those with WRA from other causes. Most frequent exposures were surfactants, alcohols, disinfectants and acids.

Health survey of employees regularly using 3D printers.

Background: 3D printers emit potentially hazardous ultrafine particles and volatile organic compounds. Workers using 3D printing technologies may be at risk of respiratory illness from occupational exposure. Aims: To assess whether 3D printing is associated with health effects in occupational users. Methods: This was a preliminary survey. Workers in 17 companies using 3D printing, including commercial prototyping businesses, educational institutions and public libraries, in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, were asked to complete survey questionnaires concerning demographic, occupational and health information. Associations between self-reported health history variables and occupational characteristics were examined by chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. Results: Among 46 surveyed workers, 27 (59% of participants) reported having respiratory symptoms at least once per week in the past year. Working more than 40 h per week with 3D printers was significantly associated with having been given a respiratory-related diagnosis (asthma or allergic rhinitis) (P < 0.05). We observed a wide variation in occupational hygiene practices in the 17 printing workplaces that we surveyed. Conclusions: Our finding of frequently reported respiratory symptoms suggests a need for additional studies on exposed workers in this field.

Comparison of clinic models for patients with work-related asthma.

BACKGROUND: Work-related asthma (WRA) is a prevalent occupational lung disease that is associated with undesirable effects on psychological status, quality of life (QoL), workplace activity and socioeconomic status. Previous studies have also indicated that clinic structure may impact outcomes among patients with asthma. AIMS: To identify the impact of clinic structure on psychological status, QoL, workplace limitations and socioeconomic status of patients with WRA among two different tertiary clinic models. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis between two tertiary clinics: clinic 1 had a traditional referral base and clinical staffing while clinic 2 entirely comprised Worker's Compensation System referrals and included an occupational hygienist and a return-to-work coordinator. Beck Anxiety and Depression II Inventories (BAI and BDI-II), Marks' Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (M-AQLQ) and Work Limitation Questionnaire (WLQ) were used to assess outcomes for patients with WRA. RESULTS: Clinic 2 participants had a better psychological status across the four instruments compared with clinic 1 (for Beck 'Anxiety': P < 0.001 and 'Depression': P < 0.01, 'Mood' domain of M-AQLQ: NS and 'Mental Demands' domain of WLQ: P < 0.01). Clinic 2 had a greater proportion of participants with reduced income. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that clinic structure may play a role in outcomes. Future research should examine this in larger sample sizes.