IDENTIFICATION OF RESPIRATORY ALLERGENS

A variety of chemicals and proteins can sensitize the respiratory trac t, Among these are materials of industrial importance, including certa in diisocyanates, acid anhydrides, reactive dyes, and enzymes. Current ly, no widely accepted or well-validated methods for the prospective i dentification of respiratory allergens exist. Most progress has been m ade with guinea pig methods where sensitizing potential is measured us ually by assessment of changes in pulmonary function induced following sensitization and challenge, However, these methods are often prohibi tively expensive, particularly for screening purposes, A number of alt ernative approaches are under consideration and are described here, Th e nature of the health problems associated with occupational respirato ry sensitization, chemical structure-activity analyses as a tool for d etecting pulmonary allergens, approaches used to test for respiratory allergens in guinea pigs, and alternative approaches using mice are al l discussed, Finally, regulatory issues and needs with respect to resp iratory sensitization are outlined. (C) 1996 Society of Toxicology