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Published on: April 8, 2019
Exposure and airway effects of seafood industry workers in northern Norway
Berit Bang1, Lisbeth Aasmoe, Beate Hustad Aamodt
1Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital Northern Norway, Tromsoe, Norway. berit.bang@umn.no
Objective:
In this study, we explored airway symptoms and exposure to bioaerosols and exhaust gases in seafood industry plants.
Methods:
The study details the results from personal and environmental exposure measurements (17 plants), a questionnaire (n = 984), and clinical examinations (n = 225).
Results:
The workers were exposed to allergens, endotoxins, molds, and exhaust. The 1-year prevalence of work-related airway symptoms was 42.8% for production workers and 25.9% for administrative workers. Mean levels of forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity were less than the predicted values in all exposed nonsmoker groups. A total of 20.5% had increased levels of total IgE (>/=100 kU/L). Specific IgE-mediated reactions seemed to be relevant only in the shrimp industry.
Conclusions:
Seafood industry workers showed a high prevalence of work-related airway symptoms. Further research on the relationship between exposure and effects is necessary.
