Occupational XXXX in professional cleaning work: a clinical study.

@entity1 @entity565 @entity8013 @entity54 @entity7446 @entity54144
BACKGROUND: Several epidemiological studies have reported an increased risk of @entity565 among professional cleaners. To date, however, no analysis of large @entity1 series from clinic of occupational medicine has been published. AIMS: To describe the cases of @entity7446 ( @entity7446 ) diagnosed at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) during the period 1994-2004 in workers employed in professional cleaning work. METHODS: @entity7446 was diagnosed according to @entity1 history, lung function examinations and specific challenge tests with measurements of the forced expiratory volume in 1 second and peak expiratory flow values. RESULTS: Our series comprised 20 @entity1 , all female, with a mean age of 48.8 years (range 27-60 years). The mean duration of cleaning work before the onset of the respiratory symptoms was 14.3 years (range 1-36 years), and the mean duration of cleaning work before the FIOH examinations was 18.6 years (range 3-38 years). @entity7446 was triggered by chemicals in 9 cases (45%) and by moulds in 11 cases (55%). The chemicals were cleaning chemicals (wax-removing substances containing @entity54144 in five cases and a cleaning agent containing @entity8013 -T in one case) and chemicals used in the industrial processes at workplaces (three cases). Of the moulds, the most frequently associated with @entity7446 was @entity54 (nine cases). CONCLUSIONS: @entity7446 was attributed not only to cleaning chemicals but also to other chemicals used in work environments. Moulds are presented as a new cause of @entity7446 in cleaners.
