Table 1.
Cases of occupational asthma from health care occupations reported to the SHIELD surveillance system (1991–2011), by agents and occupation
| Causes of health care related occupational asthma by occupation, 1991–2011 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cause | Number of cases by cause n (%) | Health care occupations |
|||||||
| Nurses and health care assistants (generic) | Theatre staff (including scrub nurses, anaesthetists, surgeons) | Endoscopy staff (including endoscopy nurses) | Radiology staff (including radiographers, radiologists, darkroom technicians) | Ward domestics (cleaners and ward hostesses) | Pathology staff (including doctors, laboratory technicians, mortuary staff) | Dental staff (including dentists, dental nurses) | Other staffa | ||
| Glutaraldehyde | 69 (38) | 15 | 18 | 20 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Latex | 47 (26) | 26 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Cleaning productsb | 28 (15) | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Radiographic chemicals | 11 (6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anaesthetic agents | 7 (4) | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Acrylates | 5 (3) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Formaldehyde | 4 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown | 3 (2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Antimicrobial drugs | 2 (1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Otherc | 6 (3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Total | 182 (100) | 63 | 31 | 21 | 21 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 18 |
a
Other occupations were midwives (n = 5), administration staff (n = 4), physiotherapists (n = 3), other doctors (n = 2), unspecified (n = 1), carpenter (n = 1), plaster room staff (n = 1) and pharmacy staff (n = 1).
b
Chlorine-releasing, chloramines, chlorhexidine, alcohol gels, denatonium from alcohol gel, henzylalkonium chloride, nitrogen trichloride, peroxyacetic acid.
c
Other causes were Scotch cast (n = 1), pigeon feathers (n = 1), Supalux (n = 1), humidifier (n = 1), bone cement (n = 1), air freshener (n = 1).