Flavoring-Related Bronchiolitis Obliterans

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kreiss, Kathleen
• Description:
  Purpose of review In 2000, inhalation of butter flavoring vapors was first associated with clinical bronchiolitis obliterans among workers in microwave popcorn production. Toxicologic and epidemiologic studies in the succeeding 5 years have intervention and research implications. Recent findings: Irreversible obstructive disease exists in workers throughout the microwave popcorn industry, in flavoring manufacture, and in the chemical synthesis of diacetyl, a predominant chemical in butter flavoring. Biologic plausibility of the role of diacetyl and other components of butter flavoring in causing bronchiolitis obliterans exists in rodent experiments which demonstrate respiratory epithelial necrosis. Some risky jobs were associated with short-term peak flavoring exposures, and average 8-h diacetyl exposures as low as 0.02 parts per million were measured in a work area where disease occurred in workers mixing butter flavorings with heated oil. Summary: Until safe levels of flavoring chemicals are determined, prevention requires substitution, engineering controls, improved work practices, and personal protective equipment to lower exposure, in conjunction with medical surveillance for accelerated declines in pulmonary function. An epidemiologic approach to longitudinal medical surveillance and flavoring chemical exposures, paired with inhalation toxicology studies of flavoring components, will lay the basis for determining health-protective exposure limits for various flavoring chemicals. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Animals Asthma Asthma, Occupational Chemistry Engineering Environmental Monitoring Epidemiology Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Hypersensitivity Lung Lung Diseases Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Skin Skin Absorption Toxicology Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Air-contamination Air-monitoring Air-quality-monitoring Animal-studies Author Keywords: Bronchiolitis Obliterans Bronchial-asthma Chemical-composition Chemical-hypersensitivity Chemical-properties Chemical-synthesis Diacetyl Engineering-controls Exposure-assessment Exposure-limits Flavorings Inhalation-studies Lung-disorders Lung-function Medical-monitoring Occupational Lung Disease Personal-protective-equipment Pulmonary-disorders Pulmonary-function Pulmonary-system-disorders Skin-absorption Surveillance-programs Work-areas Work-environment Work-practices Worker-health

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• ISSN:
  1528-4050
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  162-167
• Volume:
  7
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20031873
• Citation:
  Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 2007 Apr; 7(2):162-167
• Contact Point Address:
  Kathleen Kreiss, NIOSH, Field Studies Branch, Division Respiration Disease Studies, Suite H-2800,1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505
• Email:
  kkreiss@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1d44a51651aecf536b91cb6c78179160e4220767de64e51b7762d532d6eef5f6a501031f953fa36858de89ef872c124e5de56e9031885c11662f18decdc40cea
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/185993/cdc_185993_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 131.75 KB ]