title: Occupational risk factors for asthma among nurses and related healthcare professionals in an international study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The authors examined the relations between self-reported work tasks, use of cleaning products and latex glove use with new-onset asthma among nurses and other healthcare workers in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS II).
  
  
  METHODS
  In a random population sample of adults from 22 European sites, 332 participants reported working in nursing and other related healthcare jobs during the nine-year ECRHS II follow-up period and responded to a supplemental questionnaire about their principal work settings, occupational tasks, products used at work and respiratory symptoms. Poisson regression models with robust error variances were used to compare the risk of new-onset asthma among healthcare workers with each exposure to that of respondents who reported professional or administrative occupations during the entire follow-up period (n = 2481).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty (6%) healthcare workers and 131 (5%) members of the referent population reported new-onset asthma. Compared to the referent group, the authors observed increased risks among hospital technicians (RR 4.63; 95% CI 1.87 to 11.5) and among those using ammonia and/or bleach at work (RR 2.16; 95% CI 1.03 to 4.53).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the ECRHS II cohort, hospital technicians and other healthcare workers experience increased risks of new-onset current asthma, possibly due to specific products used at work.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, Municipal Institute of Medical Research, Barcelona, Spain. mmirabelli@imim.es
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Mirabelli
authors.forename: Jan-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Zock
authors.forename: Estel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Plana
authors.forename: Josep Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Antó
authors.forename: Geza
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Benke
authors.forename: Paul D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Blanc
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dahlman-Höglund
authors.forename: Deborah L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Jarvis
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kromhout
authors.forename: Linnéa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lillienberg
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Norbäck
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olivieri
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Radon
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sunyer
authors.forename: Kjell
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Torén
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Sprundel
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Villani
authors.forename: Manolis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kogevinas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000633:toxicity; D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003902:Detergents / Q000633:toxicity; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D017575:Gloves, Protective; D006281:Health Occupations; D006282:Health Personnel; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure; D020315:Latex Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D017056:Medical Laboratory Personnel; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D003902:Detergents