Bronchiolitis Obliterans in Workers Exposed to Flavoring Chemicals

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kanwal, Richard
• Description:
  Purpose of review: Medical and environmental surveys at microwave popcorn plants and flavoring production plants have revealed a risk for bronchiolitis obliterans in workers exposed to flavoring chemicals. Workers in other food industries may also be at risk. This review summarizes the available information on disease characteristics and natural history and provides information on workplace characteristics associated with disease development. Recent findings: Investigations carried out in flavoring plants in California have identified severely affected current and former workers in four plants. Affected former workers have also been identified at a plant in the Netherlands that manufactured diacetyl, a predominant chemical in butter flavorings which has been implicated as a causal agent for lung disease in microwave popcorn workers. Summary: Workers who manufacture or use flavorings can be subjected to repeated intense exposures to flavoring chemicals. Affected workers can progress to severe fixed airways obstruction in as little as 7 months. Since medical treatment is generally ineffective, early identification of affected workers and removal from further exposure, along with control of exposures to protect coworkers, are essential to minimize this hazard. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Engineering Environmental Monitoring Food-Processing Industry Lung Diseases Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety

  More +
• Keywords:
  Airborne-particles Airway-obstruction Author Keywords: Bronchiolitis Obliterans Diacetyl Engineering-controls Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Flavorings Food-processing-workers Lung-disease Occupational-diseases Occupational-exposure Occupational Lung Disease Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory-protection Respiratory-system-disorders Worker-health

  More +
• ISSN:
  1070-5287
• 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:
  141-146
• Volume:
  14
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20033274
• Citation:
  Curr Opin Pulm Med 2008 Mar; 14(2):141-146
• Contact Point Address:
  Richard Kanwal, MD, MPH, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, Mail Stop H-2800, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505
• Email:
  rkanwal@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Butanedione (CAS RN 431-03-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:20a255273a8aac1e7e04e28d603b042289cab0ab5c7bac0848bcb29199f95ee36cd236170e0db178a55f08f57be04c4acd4f5ee2e6b2fb54d6c827f9cc6828b0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/188917/cdc_188917_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 191.15 KB ]