Skin and respiratory symptoms from exposure to alkaline glutaraldehyde in medical services.

Norbäck, Dan

doi:10.5271/sjweh.1910

Cited by 91 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 17 publications

(23 reference statements)

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“…Other disinfectants regularly used by pig farmers include chloramine-T and aldehydes, the latter often in combination with QACs. Several reports on respiratory effects of chloramine-T [8,10,18,50] and aldehydes [3,5,12,14,25,31,33,34] have been published so far.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bronchial hyperresponsiveness and exposure in pig farmers

Vogelzang

Gulden

Preller

et al. 1997

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

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Please be advised that this information was generated on 2018-05-09 and may be subject to change.Int Arch Occiip Environ Health (1997) Abstract Objective: To study the effect of exposure on bronchial responsiveness in pig farmers. Method: A group of 196 pig farmers were tested for lung function and bronchial responsiveness to histamine in the sum mer of 1992. To achieve sufficient contrast in respira tory morbidity and exposure, 96 of the farmers were selected because they had chronic respiratory symp toms and the remaining 100 because they were free from any respiratory symptoms. Personal exposure to dust, endotoxins and ammonia was measured during 1 working day in the summer of 1991 and 1 day in the winter of 1992. Data on farm characteristics were gathered in the same period. Results: After adjusting for age and smoking behaviour, mild bronchial re sponsiveness, defined as PCi0 ^ 16 mg/ml, was asso ciated with the use of quaternary ammonium com pounds as disinfectant [prevalence odds ratio (POR) 6.7, 95% confidence interval (Cl) 1.4-32.8], use of wood-shavings as bedding (POR 13.3, Cl 1.3-136.7), use of automated dry feeding (POR 2.8, Cl 1.0-7.8), use of pellets as feeding material (POR 4.8, Cl L I-21.1) and location of air exhaust via pit or roof in the confinement units (POR 2.7, CI 1.2-6.3). The associa- tion with the use of disinfectants other than quaternary ammonium compounds was not significant (POR 2.4,. No associations between bronchial re sponsiveness and measured exposure to dust, endo toxins or ammonia were discernible. Conclusion: Pro tective measures, designed to prevent airway disease in confinement farming, should be based on information about the operational and other characteristics of farms that are related to high exposure and health ef fects. Specifically, the use of quaternary ammonium compounds as disinfectant, the use of wood-shavings as bedding and the use of automated dry feeding should be discouraged.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bronchial hyperresponsiveness and exposure in pig farmers

Vogelzang

Gulden

Preller

et al. 1997

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

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“…Glutaraldehyde exposure is also associated with various nasal, respiratory, and ocular symptoms Industrial Health 2007, 45, [289][290][291][292][293][294][295] and headache [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] . Exposure to glutaraldehyde has been shown to reduce FVC and FEV 1 among current and ex-employees 12,13) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The author has observed employees who had no symptoms at levels in the range of non-detectable to 0.05 ppm, but complained two years later while glutaraldehyde concentration and other environmental conditions remained unchanged. Previous exposure evaluations to glutaraldehyde have shown that proper ventilation systems and the use of automated washing systems can reduce the level of exposure 4,9,12) . It should be noted that minimal quantities of glutaraldehyde are used in the majority of locations within hospitals and clinics, where only general ventilation is provided.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Work Practices on Personal Exposure to Glutaraldehyde among Health Care Workers

Nayebzadeh¹

2007

Ind Health

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Glutaraldehyde is a potential sensitizer and has been implicated in the literature as a cause of respiratory irritation and asthma among health care workers. In order to evaluate the effect of work practices and general ventilation system on employees' peak exposure to glutaraldehyde, 42 breathing zone personal air samples were taken in five hospitals. In addition, work practices were observed and recorded during the course of sampling and were classified into three categories. Presence of local or general ventilation system, air change per hour, and quantity of glutaraldehyde used were also recorded. Geometric mean concentration of all samples was 0.025 ppm (GSD=3.05). Statistical analysis indicated that work practice was the most important factor affecting the level of exposure to glutaraldehyde. In locations where "poor" or "unsafe" work practices were employed, the geometric mean concentrations were much higher (GM=0.05, GSD=2.11 and GM 0.08, GSD=1.52, respectively). The result has indicated higher prevalence of headache and itchy eyes among employees who worked where unsafe work practices were observed. Employing proper work practices can significantly reduce exposure to glutaraldehyde among health care workers. It has been recently proposed that the current occupational exposure limit of 0.2 ppm shall be reduced to either 0.1 or 0.05 ppm in the province of Québec (Canada). In this case, it is likely that concentration levels higher than these levels be experienced in some workplaces. Therefore, it is imperative that employers initiate necessary corrective action immediately.

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“…Increasing temperature and solution concentration subsequently increases the vapor pressure of GA mixtures and thus, its environmental concentration. As such, good occupational hygiene principles need to be adopted and (49,57) • Laboratory technicians (33,38) • Contact dermatitis (39)(40)(41) • X-ray technicians (31,32,43,46) • Headache (28,30,43) • Cleaners, veterinarians (39,40,43) Chronic…”

Section: Reducing Occupational Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Increasing the general ventilation rate of rooms is advisable, as well as simply reducing the number of people in the immediate area. Although cold sterilizing machines are gradually replacing manual GA disinfection in many countries, they may still be problematic if operated in areas with poor general ventilation (57). Furthermore, natural ventilation is not always reliable for reducing GA exposure, and may actually increase the dispersion of GA vapor to other workplaces (58).…”

Section: Reducing Occupational Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

Glutaraldehyde exposure and its occupational impact in the health care environment

Smith

Wang

2006

Environ Health Prev Med

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Despite the search for effective and less toxic substitutes, glutaraldehyde (GA) remains one of the few substances capable of high-level instrument disinfection in modern health care. Workers commonly affected include operating room nurses, radiographers, x-ray technicians and cleaners. Widespread hospital usage combined with its well-known irritant properties, has ensured an increase in occupationally-related illnesses during recent years. Operating room nurses, laboratory workers and x-ray technicians frequently contact GA in both the liquid and vapor form. Workplace exposure is usually dependent on job tasks, ventilation levels and the use of protective equipment. GA is a relatively potent irritant and sensitizer, with a well-documented history of symptoms following occupational exposure. Although mechanisms for GA toxicity have been postulated, research on the toxicological, teratogenic and carcinogenic potential of this chemical has shown inconsistent results. Reducing workplace exposure to its lowest possible level represents the most important hazard reduction strategy. This may be achieved by keeping GA containers tightly sealed when not in use, maintaining adequate ventilation levels and the rigid adherence to appropriate personal protective equipment. Substitution with automated cold sterilization machines may be another appropriate measure, while banning unnecessary practices such as GA fogging and its use as a surface disinfectant may also be helpful in reducing occupational exposure in the health care environment.

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Skin and respiratory symptoms from exposure to alkaline glutaraldehyde in medical services.

Cited by 91 publications

References 17 publications

Bronchial hyperresponsiveness and exposure in pig farmers

Bronchial hyperresponsiveness and exposure in pig farmers

The Effect of Work Practices on Personal Exposure to Glutaraldehyde among Health Care Workers

Glutaraldehyde exposure and its occupational impact in the health care environment

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