IMMUNOLOGICAL AND RESPIRATORY REACTIONS IN WORKERS EXPOSED TO ORGANICDUSTS

The relationship of skin reactivity and serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) l evels to the prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms and to ventila tory capacity is examined in workers exposed to different organic aero sols. The results from group of control workers similarly tested are a lso presented. Workers exposed to occupational allergens had positive skin tests more frequently than did controls, except for soy bean work ers. Workers with positive skin tests to occupational allergens had a higher prevalence of almost all symptoms than those with negative skin tests although the differences did not always reach statistical signi ficance. Workers with positive skin reactions in general had significa ntly higher serum IgE levels than did workers with negative skin react ions. There were across-shift reductions of ventilatory capacity in al l groups of exposed workers, varying for forced vital capacity from 1. 7% to 13.3%, for forced expiratory volume from 0.4%-21.9%, for maximum flow rates at 50% from 1.5% to 16.1% and for maximum flow rates at th e last 25% of control vital capacity from 0% to 24.9%. There was, howe ver, no correlation between acute and chronic lung function changes an d skin reactivity or IgE values. Our data suggest that although exposu re to organic aerosols may be associated with frequent immunologic rea ctions, these findings do not predict objective respiratory impairment .