List of individual agents classified in seven large groups—new occupational asthma-specific JEM
| Agents, n=30 | HMW sensitiser | Mites | Microbial exposure | LMW sensitiser | Irritants | Highly reactive chemicals | Biocides |
| Animals | 1 | ||||||
| Fish/shellfish | 1 | ||||||
| Flour | 1 | ||||||
| Foods | 1 | ||||||
| Plants-related dusts | 1 | ||||||
| House dust mites | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Storage mites | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Plant mites | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Enzymes | 1 | ||||||
| Latex | 1 | ||||||
| Textiles | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Moulds | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Endotoxin | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Drugs | 1 | 1 | |||||
| High-level chemical disinfectants | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Aliphatic amines | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Isocyanates | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Acrylates | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Epoxy resins | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Persulfates/henna | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Wood | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Metal | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Metal working fluids | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Herbicides | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Insecticides | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Fungicides | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Indoor cleaning | 1 | ||||||
| Bleach | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Organic solvents | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Exhaust fumes | 1 |
The 12 new agents (out of 30), identified in bold, were chosen based on the knowledge from recent literature.1 5
Animals : exposure to animals in agriculture industry, research labs—land mammals and birds;
Foods : work with milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, … mostly powders (process used to obtain powder may affect allergenic properties)—fish/shellfish and flour are not included in foods;
Other plant-related dusts : flour is not included;
Enzyme : those used as improver in bread dough, or in washing detergents manufacturing …;
Textile : work with cotton or synthetic fibres, which explain its classification in three groups (HMW, microbes, irritants);
Drugs : mostly HMW agents19 (Kennedy, personal communication) but potentially also LMW1;
Wood : mostly LMW agents19 but potentially also HMW1 27 28;
High-level chemical disinfectants : high-level disinfectant or chemical sterilising agents (eg, glutaraldehyde, chlorhexidine, ethylene oxide, hydrogen peroxide);
Indoor cleaning : cleaning products/detergents or low/intermediate-level disinfectants.
Seven large groups:
HMW sensitisers (n=13), of which mites is a subcategory (three sensitisers);
Microbial exposure (n=4);
LMW sensitisers (LMW, n=10);
Chronic exposure to irritants (n=19 agents including nine agents also classified as LMW sensitisers because for these nine agents both mechanisms are possible1 3 5 19), of which highly reactive chemicals (eight agents) and biocides (five agents) are two subcategories.
HMW, high molecular weight; JEM, job exposure matrix; LMW, low molecular weight.