The impact of years of training and possible technical, procedural, and individual risk factors for the development of atopic symptoms among bakery and confectionery trainees.

Autor: Klaut GM; Institute and Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Ziemssenstr. 1, 80336, Munich, Germany., Karrasch S; Institute and Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Ziemssenstr. 1, 80336, Munich, Germany.; Comprehensive Pneumology Center Munich (CPC-M), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Munich, Germany.; Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Centre for Environment and Health, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany., Kutzora S; Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Institute for Occupational Health and Product Safety, Environmental Health, Munich, Germany. susanne.kutzora@lgl.bayern.de., Nowak D; Institute and Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Ziemssenstr. 1, 80336, Munich, Germany.; Comprehensive Pneumology Center Munich (CPC-M), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Munich, Germany., Quartucci C; Institute and Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Ziemssenstr. 1, 80336, Munich, Germany.; Comprehensive Pneumology Center Munich (CPC-M), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Munich, Germany.; Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Institute for Occupational Health and Product Safety, Environmental Health, Munich, Germany.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: International archives of occupational and environmental health [Int Arch Occup Environ Health] 2024 Sep; Vol. 97 (7), pp. 721-731. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 01.
DOI: 10.1007/s00420-024-02079-7
Abstrakt: Purpose: Occupational asthma is commonly observed in bakers and confectioners. Endogenous and exogenous risk factors contribute to bakers' asthma. A heightened awareness of this and early diagnosis can be helpful in terms of prevention. The aim of the study was to identify a temporal relationship between the years of training, as well as possible technical, procedural, and individual risk factors for the development of flour-exposure related atopic symptoms such as rhinitis, cough, and rash in young professionals.
Methods: 127 bakers and confectioner trainees were observed over a one-year period. Two questionnaires served as test instruments. It was investigated whether the rates of atopic symptoms change over the course of a school year and which conditions in the workplace could be responsible for this. Descriptive statistics were used to answer the research questions concerning flour exposure and symptom rates. The Pearson-Chi-Square test was used for testing statistical differences between different groups (e.g. year of training, working conditions).
Results: An increase in rates of self-reported rhinitis, coughing, and rashes throughout the duration of traineeship was shown (e.g. rhinitis of bakers at work: 0% in the first year of training, 20% in the second and 33% in the third year of training). The installation of vapour extraction systems and low-dust transfer of baking agents led to fewer symptoms in the workplace (30% of participants with rhinitis symptoms worked with no installed vapour extraction systems). A medical history of atopy was positively correlated with the occurrence of symptoms.
Conclusion: To prevent the development of asthma in bakers, methods to improve occupational health and safety should be developed. Creating low dust working conditions e.g., due to the use of vapour extraction systems should be considered.
(© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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