Immunological status and respiratory findings in furriers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kanceljak B ; Kopjar B ; Schachter EN ; Stilinovic L ; Zuskin E
• Description:
  The relationship between respiratory dysfunction and immunological changes was examined in furriers exposed to different animal hairs. A group of 54 female employees of the fur coat industry was studied. The mean duration of employment was 11 years. All had typical skin reactions to histamine; none reacted to a buffer control solution. Seventeen percent of the workers reacted to house dust, but none to molds. Prevalences of immediate skin reaction decreased as follows: marten (10%), polar fox and lamb (7%), mink (5%), and Chinese lamb, domestic fox, and Chinese calf (2%). Exposure to some animal furs was associated with the development of precipitating antibodies. Four employees exhibited increased serum levels of immunoglobulin-E and complained of respiratory symptoms. Serum levels of other immunoglobulins were within normal limits. Reductions in ventilatory capacity over the work shift were recorded. Greater drops in respiratory parameters occurred in subjects with positive precipitins than in subjects with positive skin tests. The authors suggest that fur industry workers develop respiratory problems in association with specific indicators of atopy. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Animals Hematologic Tests Hypersensitivity Immune System Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Allergic-reactions Animal-products-workers Blood-analysis Immune-reaction NIOSH-Grant NIOSH-Publication Occupational-exposure Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory-system-disorders
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  433-441
• Volume:
  21
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00206092
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 1992 Mar; 21(3):433-441
• Contact Point Address:
  Medicine Mount Sinai Medical Center One Gustave L Levy Place New York, N Y 10029
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1992
• NORA Priority Area:
  Pulmonary System Disorders
• Performing Organization:
  Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19880701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20020331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3ab5fad51e9daf18323dec0f6bbd0d4bffab6f9c1f1be60f53eece53ff4becb05da37d632565fbb0a131cb490bdda3bcf1f97d47fcb17bd2fe02e54243612622
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204891/cdc_204891_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 520.86 KB ]