The more researchers learn about the causes for asthma and allergies, the more items are added to the list of known triggers. In a recent study presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Munich, scientists showed the correlation between uses of everyday products like cleaning supplies and flour as leading causes for occupational asthma.
The researchers, headed by Frederic De Blay of the University Hospital Strasbourg, collected data from 2008 to 2011 from a group of respiratory physicians who specialize in occupational diseases. The team evaluated 330 cases and compared them to the mean annual incidence rate of 36 per million people.
"This study has given us a detailed understanding of the occupational asthma cases in France," De Blay said in an official press release. "It helps to show us where people are being exposed to harmful agents and who is most likely to be affected."
The team found that flour was the primary cause for asthma, as 20 percent of those examined exhibited signs of the disease as a result of exposure. Compounds like quaternary ammonium were found to be secondary causes at approximately 15 percent.
Additionally, the data found that women were more likely to have occupational asthma than men, and those in the food and beverage manufacturing industry were more prone to become asthmatic than those in agriculture or forestry.
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