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Allergies and Asthma in the Workplace Deserve Attention

Occupational allergies and asthma continue to be a growing problem in the workplace, accounting for 5 percent of all adult asthma cases in the United States. The occurrence of occupational allergies is underestimated because of a failure to diagnose them and a reluctance of workers to complain for fear of job loss, according to Dr. Raymond Slavin.

Dr. Slavin is a contributing author to a series of articles published in a December 1999 supplemental issue to the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

According to Slavin once an occupational allergy is diagnosed, solutions can be pursued. Physicians have an opportunity to practice preventive medicine, such a screening applicants for jobs in which there is a possibility of work place sensitization, or instituting environmental control measures.

Latex Allergies Are The Most Common

Allergies resulting from natural rubber latex have become the most common cause of occupational asthma among health care workers.

In surveys involving questionnaires and latex skin testing, 5 percent to 17 percent of various hospital employee groups were documented as latex sensitive, according to the publication. In question-only surveys, study results show that up to 53 percent of responding health care workers report some type of reaction to rubber gloves.

The issue consists of 14 articles that provide an interdisciplinary approach to occupational allergies. It was prepared to serve as a useful guide for clinicians to better "understand risk factors, diagnostic approaches, and likely prognosis of patients with hypersensitivity disorders," according to Dr. Emil Bardana of Portland Oregon.

Drug Testing of Workers Is Not Cost Effective Says ACLU

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