Occupational asthma due to turpentine in art painter — case report

Abstract

Turpentine is a fluid obtained by distillation of wood resins containing mixture of terpens. It can act as an irritant and sensitiser. Most common health problem among workers exposed to turpentine is contact dermatitis. Little is know about turpentine to cause type I hypersensitivity reaction. We present a case of a 27-year old art painter using turpentine as a thinner for oil-based paints. She developed asthmatic reactions after 5 years of working with turpentine. A number of clinical procedures were performed, including clinical examination, routine laboratory tests, total serum IgE, skin prick tests to common aeroallergens, metal salts, oil-based paints and balsamic turpentine, resting spirometry test, histamine challenge, and a single-blind, placebo-controlled specific inhalation challenge with balsamic turpentine. Clinical findings and laboratory test results were normal but a significant bronchial hyperreactivity was found. During the specific challenge, dyspnoea and decreased forced expiratory volume (FEV 1 ) were observed in late phase of asthmatic reaction. An increased proportion of eosinophils in induced sputum could also be noted 24 h after the challenge. Positive clinical response to the specific challenge as well as the morphological changes found in induced sputum served as the basis for diagnosing occupational asthma. To our knowledge, this is the first well-documented case of turpentine-induced occupational asthma.

Sputum Inflammatory Profile Before and After Specific Inhalation Challenge in Individuals with Suspected Occupational Asthma

“…This is the first study in which no significant differences in cell types in induced sputum after SIC were observed in patients with OA due to LMW agents. Some authors have reported an increase in sputum eosinophils after SIC in these patients [9] , [11] , [12] , [28] , others have documented increased sputum neutrophils only in patients with OA induced by isocyanates [15] – [16] , [29] or exposed to welding fumes [13] , and one study found increases in both eosinophils and neutrophils [18] . These differences could be due to the fact that the population included in our study is superior in number to that of previous studies, except the work of Prince et al [18] , and because it includes patients exposed to very different agents.…”

Assessment of the Genotoxic and Cytotoxic Effects of Turpentine in Painters

“…It has long been known that fine art painters often suffer from various diseases (skin and lung diseases, tendency to mental disorders) [ 8 , 18 , 19 ] related to the use of various solvents, pigments, media, fixatives, and even the paints themselves, which until recently contained high levels of heavy metals, especially lead, which has been shown to be extremely genotoxic [ 20 ]. Because turpentine remains one of the most commonly used solvents in the daily work of fine artists, this study examined the toxic effects of turpentine on the human genome and showed that turpentine causes the formation of a greater number of micronuclei in binuclear cells in individuals exposed to turpentine vapors on a daily basis.…”

Acute eosinophilic pneumonia following inhalation of turpentine oil: A case report

“…To date, two cases of chemical pneumonitis due to inhalation of turpentine have been reported [ 15 , 16 ]. It should be noted that a case of asthma caused by turpentine during art painting has been reported, wherein asthma symptoms tended to appear after 30–60 minutes of turpentine exposure [ 17 ]. In the patient, an increased proportion of eosinophils in sputum was found 24 hours after the turpentine inhalation.…”