Imperial College London
Alternate

Emeritus Professor SirAnthonyNewman Taylor

Faculty of Medicine, National Heart & Lung Institute

Emeritus Professor of Occupational & Environmental Medicine
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 2983a.newmant

 
 
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Assistant

 

Miss Aditi Sharma +44 (0)20 7594 2983

 
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Location

 

4.19Guy Scadding BuildingRoyal Brompton Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Nicholson:2001:occmed/51.2.081,
author = {Nicholson, PJ and Newman, Taylor AJ and Oliver, P and Cathcart, M},
doi = {occmed/51.2.081},
journal = {Occup Med (Lond)},
pages = {81--92},
title = {Current best practice for the health surveillance of enzyme workers in the soap and detergent industry.},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/occmed/51.2.081},
volume = {51},
year = {2001}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - This study defines current best practice for the health surveillance of workers who are potentially exposed to enzymes in the manufacture of enzymatic detergent products. It is recommended that health surveillance is performed 6-monthly for the first 2 years and annually thereafter. The health surveillance programme should include a respiratory questionnaire to detect symptoms, assessment of lung function to detect pre-symptomatic changes and an immunological test to detect specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) to enzymes. The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease respiratory questionnaire should be used since it has been validated extensively for detecting asthma. Operators should observe the American Thoracic Society performance criteria for spirometers and standardized procedures for conducting spirometry. Since current airborne monitoring techniques for enzymes do not detect short-duration peak exposures, the incidence of employee sensitizations remains the most reliable measure of the integrity of environmental control. The Pepys skin prick test has been validated as a sensitive, specific and practical test for detecting specific IgE to many inhalant allergens including enzymes. For newly sensitized workers, a multi-cause investigation should be conducted to identify potential sources of exposure. Group results of immunological test results assist in the evaluation of workplace control measures, and should be used to monitor the effectiveness of hygiene and engineering programmes and to help prioritize areas for improvement. Positive responses to a questionnaire or abnormal spirometry should be assessed further. Occupational asthma should be excluded in any case of adult-onset asthma that starts or deteriorates during working life. This is particularly important because an accurate diagnosis of occupational asthma with early avoidance of exposure to its cause can result in remission of symptoms and restoration of lung function.
AU  - Nicholson,PJ
AU  - Newman,Taylor AJ
AU  - Oliver,P
AU  - Cathcart,M
DO  - occmed/51.2.081
EP  - 92
PY  - 2001///
SN  - 0962-7480
SP  - 81
TI  - Current best practice for the health surveillance of enzyme workers in the soap and detergent industry.
T2  - Occup Med (Lond)
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/occmed/51.2.081
UR  - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11307694
VL  - 51
ER  -
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