TY - JOUR
T1 - Allergic respiratory diseases and environmental pollution
T2 - Experience in the printing/paper-manufacturing industry
AU - Papa, G.
AU - Quaratino, D.
AU - Di Fonso, M.
AU - Giuffreda, F.
AU - Romano, A.
AU - Venuti, A.
PY - 1996
Y1 - 1996
N2 - Several studies have shown a correlation between airborne pollutants and respiratory disorders. To determine whether professional exposure to industrial pollution might represent a risk factor for allergic respiratory diseases, we administered allergologic tests to 275 workers employed in a paper-making/printing factory and to a control population composed of 160 office workers from the same urban area. All subjects were evaluated on the basis of personal and family histories, the results of prick tests with common airborne allergens, specific serum IgE levels, pulmonary function test, and standard chest radiography. The percentage of subjects with allergies in the factory-worker group (67/275; 24.4%) was significantly higher than that observed among the office workers (20/160; 12.5%) (chi-square test: 8.17; P <0.01). Of the 67 factory workers with allergies, 94% had histories of daily exposure to aliphatic hydrocarbons. The results of this study indicate that exposure to the latter type of industrial pollutants is associated with a significantly higher prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases.
AB - Several studies have shown a correlation between airborne pollutants and respiratory disorders. To determine whether professional exposure to industrial pollution might represent a risk factor for allergic respiratory diseases, we administered allergologic tests to 275 workers employed in a paper-making/printing factory and to a control population composed of 160 office workers from the same urban area. All subjects were evaluated on the basis of personal and family histories, the results of prick tests with common airborne allergens, specific serum IgE levels, pulmonary function test, and standard chest radiography. The percentage of subjects with allergies in the factory-worker group (67/275; 24.4%) was significantly higher than that observed among the office workers (20/160; 12.5%) (chi-square test: 8.17; P <0.01). Of the 67 factory workers with allergies, 94% had histories of daily exposure to aliphatic hydrocarbons. The results of this study indicate that exposure to the latter type of industrial pollutants is associated with a significantly higher prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases.
KW - Allergy
KW - Environmental pollution
KW - Mycophytes
KW - Respiratory disease
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M3 - Article
C2 - 8947342
AN - SCOPUS:0029809266
VL - 51
SP - 833
EP - 836
JO - Allergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
JF - Allergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
SN - 0105-4538
IS - 11
ER -