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Occupational Asthma and Its Causation in the UK Seafood Processing Industry.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:The processing of seafood (fish and shellfish) for human consumption can lead to health consequences, including occupational asthma (OA). Several non-UK studies have reported both respiratory outcomes and airborne levels of major allergens in seafood processing. However, there is a paucity of such evidence in the UK land-based seafood processing sector, which employs some 20 000 workers. METHODS:University of Manchester's Surveillance of Work-related and Occupational Respiratory Disease (SWORD) reporting system has been interrogated over the period 1992-2017 to define the incidence rate of OA cases that can be ascribed to the UK land-based processing sector, and the seafood species implicated. Airborne allergen monitoring data undertaken at Health and Safety Executive's laboratory from 2003 to 2019 have also been collated. RESULTS:The estimated annual OA incidence rate in seafood processors was 70 [95% confidence intervals (CIs) 48.9, 91.1] per 100 000 workers compared with 2.9 (95% CIs 2.8, 3.1) in 'all other industries'. The annual calculated percentage trend in OA (1992-2017) was -8.1% (95% CIs -15.9, 0.4) in seafood processing showing a similar trend to 'all other industries' (mean -7.0%; 95% CIs -7.8, -6.1). Prawns and salmon/trout were notably implicated by SWORD as causative species related to OA. There is a general paucity of available UK airborne allergen monitoring data, particularly concerning processing salmon or trout. Available airborne monitoring for salmon parvalbumin in seven processors ranged between the limit of detection and 816 ng m-3 (n = 64). Available air monitoring levels of the major shellfish allergen (tropomyosin) during processing of crabs and prawns ranged between 1 and 101 600 ng m-3 (n = 280), highlighting that high levels of exposure can occur. CONCLUSIONS:These data show an excess incidence of OA in the UK seafood processing industry during 1992-2017, with limited airborne monitoring data for the processing of prawn, crab, and salmon suggesting that significant exposure to major seafood allergens can occur in this industry. Further investigation of current levels of respiratory ill-health and the sources of allergen exposure are warranted.

SUBMITTER: Mason HJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7543999 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Occupational Asthma and Its Causation in the UK Seafood Processing Industry.

Mason Howard J HJ Carder Melanie M Money Annemarie A Evans Gareth G Seed Martin M Agius Raymond R van Tongeren Martie M

Annals of work exposures and health 20201001 8

<h4>Objectives</h4>The processing of seafood (fish and shellfish) for human consumption can lead to health consequences, including occupational asthma (OA). Several non-UK studies have reported both respiratory outcomes and airborne levels of major allergens in seafood processing. However, there is a paucity of such evidence in the UK land-based seafood processing sector, which employs some 20 000 workers.<h4>Methods</h4>University of Manchester's Surveillance of Work-related and Occupational Re ...[more]

PMID: 32491156

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Project description:ObjectivesFood processing facilities represent critical infrastructure that have stayed open during much of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the burden of COVID-19 in this sector is thus important to help reduce the potential for workplace infection in future outbreaks.MethodsWe undertook a workplace survey in the UK food and drink processing sector and collected information on workplace size, characteristics (e.g. temperature, ventilation), and experience with COVID-19 (e.g. numbers of positive cases). For each site, we calculated COVID-19 case rates per month per 1000 workers. We performed an ecological analysis using negative binomial regression to assess the association between COVID-19 rates and workplace and local risk factors.ResultsRespondents from 33 companies including 66 individual sites completed the survey. COVID-19 cases were reported from the start of the pandemic up to June 2021. Respondents represented a range of industry subgroups, including grain milling/storage (n = 16), manufacture of malt (n = 14), manufacture of prepared meals (n = 12), manufacture of beverages (n = 8), distilling (n = 5), manufacture of baked goods (n = 5), and other (n = 6), with a total of 15 563 workers across all sites. Average monthly case rates per 1000 workers ranged from 0.9 in distilling to 6.1 in grain milling/storage. Incidence rate ratios were partially attenuated after adjusting for several local and workplace factors, though risks for one subgroup (grain milling/storage) remained elevated. Certain local and workplace characteristics were related to higher infection rates, such as higher deprivation (5 km only), a lower proportion of remote workers, lower proportion of workers in close proximity, and higher numbers of workers overall.ConclusionsOur analysis suggests some heterogeneity in the rates of COVID-19 across sectors of the UK food and drink processing industry. Infection rates were associated with deprivation, the proportions of remote workers and workers in close proximity, and the number of workers.

Dataset Information

Occupational Asthma and Its Causation in the UK Seafood Processing Industry.

Publications

Occupational Asthma and Its Causation in the UK Seafood Processing Industry.

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