Type of work
Prevalence (%)
Konjac maker
5.0
Sericulturist
9.0
Polyurethane industry worker
16.4
Worker in plastic greenhouses of strawberry
4.6
Worker in plastic greenhouses of shiitake mushroom
5.0
It is a serious problem that a high prevalence was shown around some factories because allergens released from the workplace cause residents living around the plants to develop asthma. We found that many residents living around a konjac factory had konjac asthma, and we proposed that this should be called “environmental asthma” (Table 6.2) [7].
Table 6.2
The number of Konjac asthma patients depend on the distance from the factories
Distance from factories | The number of Konjac asthma patients | The number of non-Konjac asthma patients |
|---|---|---|
Within 300 m | 46 | 17 |
300–1000 m | 4 | 13 |
More than 1000 m | 1 | 20 |
6.3 Allergens
The causative allergens are varied and sometimes unexpected. A part of substances that have been reported in Japan are summarized in Table 6.3 [7].
Table 6.3
Reported occupational allergens in Japan
Allergen | Occupation | Year and author | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Plants | Cereal | Amorphophallus konjac | Konjac maker | 1951 Shichijo |
Buckwheat | Buckwheat miller. soba restaurant worker | 1971 Nakamura | ||
Wheat flour | Baker. confectionary makers | 1971 Jyo | ||
Barley flour | Miller | 1991 Noda | ||
Wood particle | Western red cedar | Wood processing industry worker | 1926 Seki | |
Zelkova | Wood processing industry worker | 1982 Katsuya | ||
Mulberry | Furniture making industry worker | 1969 Nakamura | ||
White birch | Wood processing worker | 1979 Takamoto | ||
Lauan | Wood processing worker | 1968 Aoki | ||
Quince | Wood processing worker | 1975 Takahashi | ||
Boxwood | Wood processing worker | 1985 Tawara | ||
Others | Coffee beans powder | Manufacturing plant worker | 1985 Shirakawa | |
Sesame | Manufacturing plant worker sesame oil | 1990 Tadokoro | ||
Tea leaf | ||||
Fresh top | Tea picking worker | 1976 Ebihara | ||
Component of tea leaf | Tea manufacture worker | 1989 Otsuka | ||
Tomato (component in stalk) | Worker in plastic greenhouses | 1980 Saito | ||
Lettuce (component in stalk) | Worker in plastic greenhouses | 1980 Saito | ||
Fuzz of melon | Worker in plastic greenhouses | 1980 Masuyama | ||
Animal | Silk | Silk textile industry worker | 1966 Nakamura | |
Sea squirt | Oyster farm worker | 1964 Jyo | ||
Alcyonarian | Japanese spiny lobster | 1989 Onizuka | ||
Animal hair | Writing brush maker | 1968 Kikuchi | ||
Mixed fertilizer (fish, crab) | Fertilizer factory worker | 1982 Usami, 1991 Kasiwagi | ||
Sardine powder | Dried sardine factory worker | 1987 Takamoto | ||
Coat of rat and guinea pig | Researcher | 1972 Kobayashi | ||
Pollen, spore | Pollen
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