Occupational risk factors for asthma among nurses and related healthcare professionals in an international study

• Published in: Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England) Vol. 64; no. 7; pp. 474 - 479
• Main Authors: Mirabelli, Maria C, Zock, Jan-Paul, Plana, Estel, Antó, Josep Maria, Benke, Geza, Blanc, Paul D, Dahlman-Höglund, Anna, Jarvis, Deborah L, Kromhout, Hans, Lillienberg, Linnéa, Norbäck, Dan, Olivieri, Mario, Radon, Katja, Sunyer, Jordi, Torén, Kjell, van Sprundel, Marc, Villani, Simona, Kogevinas, Manolis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01-07-2007; BMJ Publishing Group; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Adult; Air Pollutants, Occupational - toxicity; Asthma; Asthma - etiology; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma; Cleaning; Cleaning compounds; Cleaning products; Courthouses; Detergents - toxicity; Disinfection & disinfectants; ECRHS; Employment; Europe; European Community Respiratory Health Survey; Female; Gloves, Protective; Health care; Health care industry; Health Occupations; Health Personnel; Health Surveys; Humans; Inhalation Exposure; International Standard Classification of Occupations; International studies; ISCO; Laboratory Personnel; Latex; Latex Hypersensitivity - etiology; Longitudinal studies; Lungmedicin och allergi; Male; Medical Laboratory Personnel; Medical personnel; Medical sciences; MEDICIN; MEDICINE; Middle Aged; Nurses; Nursing; Occupational Diseases - etiology; Occupational Exposure; Occupations; Original; Participation; Pneumology; Prospective Studies; Questionnaires; Referents; Respiratory Medicine and Allergy; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Technicians; Europe; Human; Lung disease; Glove; Respiratory disease; Health staff; Occupational exposure; Latex; Asthma; Cohort study; Risk factor; Cleaning materials; Bronchus disease; Obstructive pulmonary disease; Occupational medicine; Nurse; International; Occupational/toxicity; Gloves; Protective; Air Pollutants
• ISSN: 1351-0711; 1470-7926; 1470-7926
• DOI: 10.1136/oem.2006.031203

Objective: The authors examined the relations between self-reported work tasks, use of cleaning products and latex glove use with new-onset asthma among nurses and other healthcare workers in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS II). Methods: In a random population sample of adults from 22 European sites, 332 participants reported working in nursing and other related healthcare jobs during the nine-year ECRHS II follow-up period and responded to a supplemental questionnaire about their principal work settings, occupational tasks, products used at work and respiratory symptoms. Poisson regression models with robust error variances were used to compare the risk of new-onset asthma among healthcare workers with each exposure to that of respondents who reported professional or administrative occupations during the entire follow-up period (n = 2481). Results: Twenty (6%) healthcare workers and 131 (5%) members of the referent population reported new-onset asthma. Compared to the referent group, the authors observed increased risks among hospital technicians (RR 4.63; 95% CI 1.87 to 11.5) and among those using ammonia and/or bleach at work (RR 2.16; 95% CI 1.03 to 4.53). Conclusions: In the ECRHS II cohort, hospital technicians and other healthcare workers experience increased risks of new-onset current asthma, possibly due to specific products used at work.