| Document ID (ISN) | 31807 |
| CIS number |
79-1412 |
| Year |
1979 |
| Convention or series no. |
|
| Author(s) |
Delmas C. |
| Title |
Meat packers' asthma |
| Original title |
L'asthme des emballeurs de viande. [in French] |
| Bibliographic information |
Université de Paris VII, Faculté de médecine Xavier-Bichat, Paris, France, 1979. 48p. 34 ref. |
| Abstract |
MD thesis. Symptoms varying from simple irritation of the mucosae to acute asthma attacks with considerable distress have been observed since 1973 in meat packers in large supermarkets. A workpost study showed that these manifestations may be due to vapours (especially hydrochloric acid and bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate) emitted in hot wire cutting of PVC film, or fume emitted when sticking labels with hot-melt adhesives (in this case the aetiological agent has not yet been determined). The hazards of industrial use of polyvinyl chloride are reviewed in a chapter devoted to the chemical properties of this substance, and a chapter on immunological aspects suggests that meat packers' asthma should be considered in the category of type I in Gell and Coomb's classification. Tables analyse and summarise the 269 cases (107 certain) reported in the world literature between 1973 and 1977; 3 French case studies are given. Occupational health precautions should concentrate on the tension of the roll of plastic film from which each wrapping is torn off, keeping the metal cutting wire clean and at the correct temperature, and adequate ventilation. A good solution would be to replace the hot wire by a cutting blade. |
| Descriptors (primary) |
plastic films; allergic asthma; meat industry; wrapping; supermarkets |
| Descriptors (secondary) |
hydrochloric acid; case study; France; polyvinyl chloride; immunology; pyrolysis products; thesis; health engineering; irritation |
| Document type |
E - Books, reports, proceedings |
| Subject(s) |
Occupational pathology
|
| Broad subject area(s) |
|
| Browse category(ies) |
Food industry
Allergies
Diseases of the respiratory system (except for pneumoconiosis & similar)
Retail industry
|
