Incidence of occupational asthma by occupation and industry in Finland

Abstract

Background Systematic research on occupation or industry‐specific incidence of occupational asthma (OA) is sparse. We calculated the incidence of notified OA by occupation, industry and causative agent in Finland for the years 1989–95. Methods The numbers of cases of reported OA were retrieved from the Finnish Registry of Occupational Diseases for the population between 20 and 64 years of age. The numbers of employed workers were retrieved from Statistics Finland. Incidence rates were calculated for each occupation, industry and the total workforce. Results Altogether 2602 cases of OA were notified and the mean annual incidence rate was 17.4 cases/100,000 employed workers. The incidence rate was the highest in bakers, other painters and lacquerers, veterinary surgeons, chemical workers, farmers, animal husbandry workers, other food manufacturing workers, welders, plastic product workers, butchers and sausage makers, and floor layers. Cases caused by animal epithelia, hairs and secretions or flours, grains, and fodders accounted for 60% of the total. Conclusions Estimation of occupation and industry‐specific incidence rates forms the basis for successful prevention of OA, but necessitates collection of data over several years from well‐established surveillance systems. Am. J. Ind. Med. 37:451–458, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Respiratory and Nasal Symptoms, Immunological Changes, and Lung Function in Industrial Bakers

“…Despite improvement in the implementation of preventive measures, results of actual studies indicate that workplace exposure in bakery and pastry sectors is still associated with adverse respiratory effects in an important proportion of exposed workers [7,18].…”

“…A variety respiratory effects have been described among bakers, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), impairment of pulmonary function, etc [1][2][3][4][5]. Bakers' asthma represents the first cause of occupational asthma in France and one of the most current etiologies in countries of Western Europe [6,7].…”

Work-related asthma and implications for the general public.

“…Estimates of the overall yearly incidence of occupational asthma in the U.S. working population have ranged in different studies from 29 to 710 cases per million workers. The corresponding rate was reported to be 174 in Finland but varies greatly by industry and occupational categories (27)(28)(29). The relatively broad range of estimates emphasizes the importance of design factors in results of these studies.…”

Pesticides and Atopic and Nonatopic Asthma among Farm Women in the Agricultural Health Study

“…Although much work has addressed respiratory risks to farmers, little research has explored the respiratory hazards among farm women. In one study of Finnish agricultural workers, women had higher rates of occupational asthma than men (11).…”