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Assessment of the relationship between isocyanate exposure levels and occupational asthma
Author(s) -
Tarlo Susan M.,
Liss Gary M.,
Dias Chris,
Banks Daniel E
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0274(199711)32:5<517::aid-ajim12>3.0.co;2-5
Subject(s) - isocyanate , christian ministry , medicine , occupational asthma , asthma , occupational exposure , environmental health , toxicology , organic chemistry , polyurethane , philosophy , chemistry , theology , biology
As part of a previous study, we identified Ontario cases of isocyanate‐induced occupational asthma (OA) and the companies at which they worked. The Ontario Ministry of Labour maintained a computerized database including isocyanate air sampling determinations conducted by the Ministry. Within this database, we compared levels of isocyanate concentrations measured at 20 case companies [with compensated isocyanate asthma (OA) claims] with 203 noncase companies, based on air samples collected during the same 4‐year period during which the OA claims arose. The proportion of case companies that were ever recorded as having a measured ambient isocyanate concentration of ≥0.005 ppm was greater than that for noncase companies, for TDI users (43% vs 22%), and for MDI users (40% vs 27%). This reached conventional significance when combined across companies and isocyanate types (50% vs 25%; P < 0.05). This provides some evidence that facilities having OA claims have higher isocyanate exposures than do those without claims. Am. J. Ind. Med. 32:517–521, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.