Elsevier

The Lancet

Volume 356, Issue 9245, 2 December 2000, Pages 1899-1900
The Lancet

Research Letters
An outbreak of asthma in a modern detergent factory

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(00)03264-5Get rights and content

Summary

The striking decrease in the occurrence of protease-induced occupational asthma in the detergent industry has been attributed to enzyme encapsulation. We report an outbreak of asthma, at least equal in size to those reported in the 1960s, in a modem European factory which has exclusively used encapsulated enzymes. A survey revealed that enzyme sensitisation and work-related respiratory symptoms were positively correlated with airborne enzyme exposure. We suggest that encapsulation alone is insufficient to prevent enzyme-induced allergy and asthma.

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