Risk of enzyme allergy in the detergent industry

Abstract

Objectives-To assess the prevalence of enzyme sensitisation in the detergent industry. Methods-A cross sectional study was conducted in a detergent factory. Sensitisation to enzymes was examined by skin prick and radioallergosorbent (RAST) tests. 76 Workers were tested; 40 in manufacturing, packing, and maintenance, and 36 non-exposed people in management and sales departments. The workers were interviewed for work related respiratory and skin symptoms. Total dust concentrations were measured by a gravimetric method, and the concentration of protease in air by a catalytic method. Results-Nine workers (22%) were sensitised to enzymes in the exposed group of 40, whereas none were sensitised in the non-exposed group. All the sensitised people had symptoms at work; all had rhinitis and one had asthma. Protease concentrations were generally <20 ng/m 3 , but occasional peak values up to 80 ng/m 3 were detected in the packing and maintenance tasks, and high values of >1 µg/m 3 in the mixing area. Conclusion-Despite the use of encapsulated enzyme preparations, high enzyme concentrations in workplace air are possible, resulting in a higher risk of sensitisation than expected. (Occup Environ Med 2000;57:121-125) Keywords: detergent enzymes; occupational exposure; allergyThe detergent industry was the first to give rise to the protease enzyme allergy problem in the late 1960s.1-5 Later, other enzymes, such as -amylases and cellulases emerged as sensitisers-for example, in the baking industry. [6][7][8][9] In the detergent industry, the allergy problem has been considered to be under control since the mid-1970s, due to development of encapsulated protease preparations and improvements in industrial hygiene.4 10 11 It was, however, reported that sensitisation could not be totally prevented by encapsulation of enzymes, 12 and some cases of respiratory allergy have been reported. 13 Recently, new enzymes have been introduced in the detergent industry-such as lipases in the late 1980s, and later cellulases and -amylases-although the proteases derived from Bacillus subtilis are still the most important enzymes. Because of the history of enzyme allergy and the increased range of enzymes in the field, we assessed the prevalence of sensitisation to enzymes and the levels of exposure to protease in a detergent factory. Material and methods DETERGENT FACTORYThe study was carried out in a factory producing laundry detergents and automatic dish washing detergents. The factory had been operating since the 1960s. New facilities were built in the mid-1980s. Detergents for laundry and dish washing were produced in separate departments. The manufacturing of laundry detergents includes mixing of raw materials with water and subsequent spray drying of the slurry, followed by addition of heat labile components such as enzymes. The addition of enzyme to the hopper took place manually a few times in a shift. Further mixing to the detergent was automated. The packing machines were controlled and operated by packers. The factory had mod...

Guidelines for the management of work-related asthma

“…Perhaps as respirators are not considered an optimal way of controlling exposures, they have often been used in conjunction with other control activities at the source and/or environmental level. Such comprehensive programmes have been implemented for workers exposed to laboratory animals [163][164][165], detergent enzymes [166], dusts and fumes in aluminum production [167], diisocyanates [112,168] and disinfectants [169]. While many of these programmes have reported success at prevention, it is not possible to determine the contribution made by respirators alone.…”

Proteolytic enzyme sensitivity and decrease in respiratory function (a 10-year follow-up)

“…For this reason, measures were taken to reduce the dust and enzyme concentration at the work environment, and the proteolytic enzymes were passed through a chemical process and encapsulated. In a study, despite the use of encapsulated enzyme preparations, it was stated that the possibility of high concentrations of the enzymes in the environment could have led to the rather high sensitivities observed in contrast to what was expected [8]. Work by Cullinan et al [9] supports the fact that to prevent allergy and asthma due to the enzyme, encapsulating the enzyme alone was not enough.…”

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by occupational exposure to phytase

“…As the amino acid sequences of these enzymes are .97% identical, it is no wonder these antibodies and, additionally, the patient's IgG reacted to phytases from both species. Airborne phytase concentrations at the patient's workplace reached 38.4 mg?m -3 which is much higher than, for example, protease concentrations in the detergent industry [16]. This exposure caused severe symptoms in the evening after taking samples for only 10 min, and high-antigen exposure may also be an important step in the pathogenesis of the patient's disease.…”