title: Occupational asthma in France: a 1-yr report of the observatoire National de Asthmes Professionnels project.
abstract: Observatoire National des Asthmes Professionnels (ONAP) was created in 1996 by two French professional societies to estimate the incidence of occupational asthma and to promote preventive measures against it. Occupational and chest physicians were asked to report newly diagnosed cases of work-related asthma and reactive airway dysfunction syndrome (RADS), the information collected included age, sex, occupation, suspected causal agents and diagnostic methods. In 1997, 82.3% of 559 cases reported (64% males, mean age 36 +/- 13 yrs) involved occupational asthma, 4.7% RADS and 12.7% atypical asthma syndromes. Incidence rates (expressed as number of cases per million workers) showed a regional variation that ranged from 4 to 73 (national mean: 25.7). The most frequently suspected agents were flour (23.3%), followed by isocyanates (16.6%), latex (7.5%), aldehydes (5.5%), and persulphates (4.1%). Occupations at risk were bakers (23.9%), healthcare workers (12%), painters (9.1%), hairdressers (5.2%), wood industry workers (4.8%) and cleaners (3.5%). These results are compared to those of other systems set up in Europe and North America. Because of the considerable bias inherent in a surveillance system based on voluntary, reporting, the number of occupational asthma cases reported is probably lower than the real incidence. Nevertheless, the French National Observatory for Occupational Asthma encourages physician awareness of occupational asthma and provides an estimate of its incidence and aetiologies in France.
authors.affiliation: Societé de Pneumologie de Langue Française, Paris, France.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kopferschmitt-Kubler
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ameille
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Popin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calastreng-Crinquand
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vervloet
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bayeux-Dunglas
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pauli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000447:Aldehydes / Q000009:adverse effects; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005433:Flour / Q000009:adverse effects; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007840:Latex / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D009790:Occupations; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D000447:Aldehydes; D007840:Latex