Listed below are industries where work-related asthma has been identified, and the asthmagens (asthma-causing agents) associated with each. The list includes agents that are sensitizers known to cause allergic asthma, as well as irritants known to be responsible for inducing reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS).
Additional information on industries and occupations, and associated asthmagens can be found through sources listed below the table.
|
Industry |
Asthmagen |
|
Adhesives industry |
acid anhydrides, aliphatic amines, polycyclic compounds, colophony, diisocyanates, methyl methacrylate, cyanoacrylates |
|
Agriculture |
insect proteins, pollens, aromatic herbs, livestock, organophosphorous insecticides, soya, chloramides, sulfones, mites |
|
Aircraft filter manufacturing |
triethylenetetramine |
|
Aluminum cable soldering |
aminoethylethanolamine |
|
Aluminum industry |
aluminum salts, fluorides |
|
Animal handling and processing |
animal urine/dander, feathers, avian proteins, penicillins, cephalosporins, cereal seeds, macrolids, oilseed |
|
Artificial fingernail application |
methyl methacrylate, cyanoacrylates |
|
Autobody repair |
diisocyanates, acrylates, styrene |
|
Automobile painting |
diisocyanates |
|
Baking |
enzymes, flour/grain dust, grain mites, insect proteins, cereal seeds, powdered chicken egg |
|
Bath enameling |
acid fumes |
|
Boat manufacturing |
styrene, diisocyanates, wood dust |
|
Boiler/gas turbine cleaning |
vanadium |
|
Brewery |
hops, chloramine-T |
|
Button manufacturing |
nacre (mother of pearl) |
|
Candy manufacturing |
vegetable gums |
|
Carpentry |
wood dust, formaldehyde, diisocyanates, epoxy resins |
|
Cement manufacturing |
potassium dichromate |
|
Ceramic industry |
chromium salts, nickel salts |
|
Chemical industry |
acid anhydrides, formaldehyde, diisocyanates, methyl methacrylate, cyanoacrylates, sulphites, persulphates, piperazine, platinum salts, quaternary ammonium compounds, coloring reagents, n-methylmorpholine, isothiazolinones |
|
Chrome plating |
sodium bichromate, chromic acid, potassium chromate |
|
Coffee processing |
green coffee beans |
|
Condom manufacturing |
latex, lycopodium powder |
|
Cooking |
garlic dust, spices, aromatic herbs, papain |
|
Cosmetics manufacturing |
aliphatic amines, polycyclic compounds, cochineal dust, carmine red, enzymes, formaldehyde, vegetable gums, lycopodium powder, vanillin, quaternary ammonium compounds |
|
Custodial services |
cleaning agents, latex, mold, dust, bird/bat droppings, quaternary ammonium compounds |
|
Dairy industry |
animal urine/dander, lactoserum, casein, enzymes |
|
Dentistry |
latex, methyl methacrylate, cyanoacrylates, epoxy, diisocyanates, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, quarternary ammonium compounds |
|
Detergent manufacturing |
subtilsins (Bacillus subtilis), esperase, enzymes |
|
Diamond industry |
metal carbides, cobalt, nickel |
|
Dye manufacturing and dyeing |
levafix brilliant yellow, drimarene brilliant yellow and blue, cibachrome brilliant scarlet, aromatic amines and their derivatives, acid anhydrides, cochineal, carmine red, coloring reagents, sulphites, persulphates |
|
Electronics |
solder flux fume, colophony, aliphatic amines, polycyclic compounds, acid anhydrides, zinc chloride, ammonium chloride |
|
Entomology |
insect proteins |
|
Enzyme manufacturing |
fungal alpha-amylase, enzymes |
|
Epoxy resin manufacturing |
acid anhydrides |
|
Explosives manufacturing |
vegetable gums, tetrazene, freon, lycopodium powder |
|
Firefighting |
combustion products of plastics |
|
Floral industry |
pollens, house plants, dried flowers |
|
Food industry |
garlic dust, spices, aromatic herbs, insect proteins, arthropods, shellfish, cochineal, carmine red, enzymes, vegetable gums, oil seeds, dust mites, maiko dust, seafood, powdered chicken egg, sulphites, persulphates, soya, vanillin, tea dust, casein, flours, papain, castor beans, herbal tea, chicory, vegetable oil mist |
|
Food packaging |
combustion products of polyvinyl chloride |
|
Forensics |
ninhydrin |
|
Foundry |
formaldehyde, derivatives of furan, diisocyanates |
|
Fur dyeing |
para-phenylenediamine |
|
Galvanizing |
zinc fume |
|
Grain handling and processing |
grain dust, grain mites, molds |
|
Gum manufacturing |
vegetable gums |
|
Hairdressing |
henna, sulphites, persulphates, ethanolamine, formaldehyde, sericin |
|
Health care |
glutaraldehyde, latex, formaldehyde, methyl methacrylate, cyanoacrylates, quaternary ammonium compounds, methyldopa, penicillins, psyllium, hexachlorophene, chlorhexidine |
|
Insect breeding |
insect proteins, arthropods |
|
Jewelry polishing |
cuttlefish bone dust, ivory dust |
|
Laundry |
enzymes, sulphites, persulphates |
|
Machine shop |
tungsten carbide, cobalt, nickel, oil mist, coolants, ethanolamines |
|
Meat wrapping |
polyvinyl chloride fume |
|
Metallurgy |
aliphatic amines, polycyclic compounds, metal carbides, cobalt, nickel, derivatives of furan, diisocyanates, chromium salts, nickel salts, platinum salts, palladium salts, acid fumes, aluminum salts, fluorides |
|
Mining |
bioaerosols, styrene, polyester resins |
|
Mortuary science |
formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde |
|
Mushroom cultivation and processing |
mushroom spores |
|
Nickel plating |
nickel sulphate |
|
Office work |
bioaerosols, cleaning agents |
|
Oyster farming |
hoya |
|
Paint spraying |
dimethylethanolamine, diisocyanates, zinc chromate |
|
Paper/pulp manufacturing |
wood dust, formaldehyde, sulphites, persulphates, acid fumes, quaternary ammonium compounds, proteolytic enzymes, chlorine, diazonium salts |
|
Pea processing |
mexican bean weevils |
|
Pharmaceutical industry |
aliphatic amines, polycyclic compounds, aromatic amines and derivatives, acid anhydrides, penicillins, cephalosporins, cochineal dust, carmine red, enzymes, vegetable gums, lycopodium powder, macrolids, sulphites, persulphates, volatile acid chlorides, piperazine, psyllium, chloramides, sulfones, tetracyclines, cynorohodon, hydralazine, rose hips, trypsin, bromelin, papain, pepsin, ipecacuanha dust, morphone, pancreatin, isoniazid, spiramycin, cimetidine, acetic acid, phenylglycine |
|
Pharmacy |
gentian powder, flaviastase |
|
Phenolic resin manufacturing |
formaldehyde |
|
Photographic processing |
aliphatic amines, polycyclic compounds, coloring reagents, chromium salts, glutaraldehyde |
|
Plastics manufacturing |
aliphatic amines, polycyclic compounds, acid anhydrides, diazonium salts, formaldehyde, methyl methacrylate, diisocyanates, trypsin, bromelin, polyvinyl chloride (fume & dust), azodicarbonamide, styrene, polypropylene fume, dioctyl phthalate |
|
Platinum refining |
chloroplatinic acid, ammonium hexachloroplatinate, soluble platinum salts |
|
Polyurethane foam manufacturing |
toluene diisocyanate, diphenylmethane diisocyanate, 4-methylmorpholine |
|
Polyurethane foam spraying |
diisocyanates |
|
Poultry processing |
chicken dander and feathers, amprolium hydrochloride |
|
Prawn/crab processing |
prawns, crabs |
|
Printing/lithography |
vegetable gums |
|
Refuse collection processing |
bioaerosols |
|
Rubber industry |
aliphatic amines, polycyclic compounds, aromatic amines and derivatives, diazonium salts, formaldehyde |
|
Seafood industry |
shellfish |
|
Silkworm culturing |
silkworms, sericin |
|
Soldering |
solder flux fume, colophony, polyether alcohol, polypropylene glycol |
|
Steel industry |
vanadium |
|
Surgical glove manufacturing |
latex |
|
Tanning |
aliphatic amines, polycyclic compounds, coloring reagents, enzymes, formaldehyde, chromium salts, sulphites, persulphates, casein |
|
Tea processing |
tea dust |
|
Teaching |
cleaning agents, mold, dusts |
|
Textile industry |
cochineal dust, carmine red, coloring reagents, enzymes, vegetable gums, chromium salts, sericin, natural fibers, latex |
|
Tobacco farming and processing |
tobacco leaf, tobacco dust |
|
Tungsten carbide tool manufacturing/grinding |
cobalt, nickel |
|
Venipuncture |
bis (tri-n-butyltin) oxide |
|
Veterinary medicine |
animal proteins, urine/dander, penicillins, cephalosporins, macrolids, piperazine |
|
Water treatment industry |
chloramides, sulfones, chloramine-T |
|
Welding |
chromium salts, nickel, chromium, vanadium, zinc chloride, ammonium chloride |
|
Winery |
mites, organophosphorous insecticides |
|
Woodworking |
wood dust, ramin |
|
Wool processing |
wool |
|
X-ray processing |
glutaraldehyde |
