PMID- 9924443
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19990204
LR  - 20190503
IS  - 1351-0711 (Print)
IS  - 1470-7926 (Electronic)
IS  - 1351-0711 (Linking)
VI  - 55
IP  - 12
DP  - 1998 Dec
TI  - Evaluation of chronic respiratory effects in the potato processing industry: 
      indications of a healthy worker effect?
PG  - 823-7
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the occurrence of chronic respiratory effects of 
      exposure to organic dust in the potato processing industry. METHODS: Self 
      reported chronic respiratory symptoms and spirometric lung function were assessed 
      in a cross sectional study among 135 potato processing workers. A comprehensive 
      study of current exposure to dust, endotoxin, and potato antigens had been 
      performed previously. Workers were grouped into low and high exposure categories 
      for each of the three exposure indices. Relations between exposure concentrations 
      and respiratory health variables were investigated either by calculating 
      prevalence rate ratios or by performing linear regression analyses. Atopy was 
      assessed by measuring total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and specific IgE to five 
      common aeroallergens in serum samples of workers. RESULTS: Evident relations 
      between current exposure indices and respiratory health in the entire group were 
      not found. Workers employed < or = 5 years showed a two-fold higher prevalence of 
      respiratory symptoms, lower lung function, and higher endotoxin exposure than 
      workers employed for > 5 years. Also, atopy was more prevalent in workers 
      employed < or = 5 years. After stratification for duration of employment, 
      negative effects of endotoxin on lung function among workers employed < or = 5 
      years were suggested. CONCLUSIONS: This study does not show chronic respiratory 
      effects of exposure to organic dust in the potato processing industry, despite 
      the fact that the levels of exposure to endotoxin found in this industry have 
      been reported to be associated with decreases in lung function in other 
      occupational settings. A likely explanation for not detecting apparent effects 
      might be that many symptomatic workers drop out of this industry a few years 
      after starting the job, suggesting a healthy worker effect.
FAU - Zock, J P
AU  - Zock JP
AD  - Environmental and Occupational Health, Wageningen Agricultural University, The 
      Netherlands.
FAU - Heederik, D
AU  - Heederik D
FAU - Doekes, G
AU  - Doekes G
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - England
TA  - Occup Environ Med
JT  - Occupational and environmental medicine
JID - 9422759
RN  - 0 (Dust)
RN  - 37341-29-0 (Immunoglobulin E)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Cross-Sectional Studies
MH  - Dust/*adverse effects
MH  - *Food Handling
MH  - Healthy Worker Effect
MH  - Humans
MH  - Hypersensitivity, Immediate/etiology
MH  - Immunoglobulin E/blood
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Netherlands/epidemiology
MH  - Occupational Diseases/epidemiology/*etiology
MH  - Occupational Exposure/adverse effects
MH  - Respiratory Tract Diseases/epidemiology/*etiology
MH  - Smoking/adverse effects
MH  - *Solanum tuberosum
PMC - PMC1757541
EDAT- 1999/01/30 00:00
MHDA- 1999/01/30 00:01
PMCR- 2001/12/01
CRDT- 1999/01/30 00:00
PHST- 1999/01/30 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1999/01/30 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1999/01/30 00:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2001/12/01 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 10.1136/oem.55.12.823 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Occup Environ Med. 1998 Dec;55(12):823-7. doi: 10.1136/oem.55.12.823.