Background
Occupational allergens are those you might encounter in your workplace. Farmers may be sensitive to dusts associated with threshing or milling or animal feeds. Manufacturers of furniture may be sensitive to the various woods with which they work, while those who make and use detergents may be allergic to the enzymes added to these cleaning agents. Healthcare workers and patients may become allergic to latex rubber through frequent exposure to latex used in gloves, tubing, and other applications.
Incidence and Prevalence
It is difficult to assess the exact incidence and prevalence of occupational allergies, as they are extremely varied in nature depending on the specific job and role. Occupational allergies span allergens from wood and wood products, animals, chemicals, particulates, and latex. Latex sensitivity and allergy, which increase with latex exposure, have become more prevalent in the past 20 years. This is due in part to the emergence of new infectious diseases and the need to protect workers from exposure to infectious materials. It is now estimated that 8-12% of the 7.7 million health care workers in the United States are latex sensitive.
Cause and Risk Factors
When allergens enter the body of a person with a sensitized immune system, they trigger antibody production (IgE) in a hypersensitive response. Part of the immune response consists of the release of histamine and other chemicals, frequently causing itching and swelling in affected tissues, mucus production, and in serious cases, hives and rashes, as well as other symptoms. Due to the nature of environmental allergens in occupational settings, most come in contact with the skin or eyes, or are inhaled, thus causing a reaction in these areas.
For those with latex allergy, the best defense is to reduce exposure. Currently, there is no cure for latex sensitivity, so it is necessary for individuals to learn which products contain latex and find alternatives. As a result of the increase in latex sensitivity, an greater number of comparable non-latex products are now manufactured.
List of Allergens
K001 Acrylon
K004 Threshing Dust
K005 Flax
K008 Hop
K012 Grain Mill Dust
K014 Kapok
K015 Rayon
K016 Linen
K020 Sheep's Wool (Treated)
K021 Sheep's Wool (Untreated)
K023 Straw Dust
K025 Terylene
K026 Wheat, Threshing
K031 Maple
K032 Beech
K033 Oak
K034 Ash
K035 Spruce
K036 White Pine
K037 Limba
K038 Makore
K042 Ramin
K043 Red Cedar
K044 Silver Fir
K045 Teak
K047 Meranti
K050 Wool Fat
K070 Green Coffee Bean
K071 Castor Bean
K072 Ispaghula
K073 Wild Silk
K074 Silk
K076 Isocyanate MDI
K077 Isocyanate HDI
K078 Ethylene oxide
K079 Phthalic Acid Anhydride
K080 Formaldehyde
K081 Ficus spec.
K082 Latex (International)
K082 Latex (U.S.) w/D.I.
K083 Cottonseed
K084 Sunflower Seed
K085 Chloramin T
K086 Trimellitic Acid Anhydride
K087 Alpha-Amylase
K089 Orris Root
K099 HSA (Human Serum Albumin)
K201 Papain
K202 Bromelin
K205 Alkalase
K206 Protease 1
K208 Lysozyme
K212 Abechi Wood (Dust)
K213 Cyclamen
K217 Pine
K220 Protease 2
K222 Amylase
K224 Lipase
K225 Cellulase C
K226 Cellulase R
K252 Cherry Wood
K262 Collagen
K263 Licorice
K265 Pectin
O001 Cotton Linters (Untreated)
O003 Cotton (Treated)
O007 Seminal Plasma
O051 Streptococcus viridans
O070 Sperm-Ejaculate
O071 Staphylococcus aureus
O072 Sperm-Sediment
O201 Tobacco Dust
O206 Fish Feed (Vegetable)
O207 Fish Feed (Animal)
