Immunological aspects and affections of rubbish collectors caused by bioaerosols

Abstract

From the point of view of industrial medicine, the maintenance of industrial health and safety standards to minimize health hazards for staff is the most important item in dealing with biological materials at work. With regard to the rubbish industry, it is therefore mandatory to recognize every possible health hazard in order to supplement preventive measures and to increase industrial medical prevention. In a cross-sectional study of industrial medicine, 83 trash collectors were medically examined, their case history having been taken by means of a standardized questionnaire. The immunobiological examination consisted of the measurement of specific IgE and IgG antibodies to Aspergillus fumigatus. An immunoblot was used to supplement the investigation and to illustrate individual epitopes of allergens of Aspergillus fumigatus. In 16 trash collectors (19%) there was a specific sensitization against Aspergillus fumigatus Type I and Type III simultaneously, as proven by the standards of Coombs and Gell. Specific antibodies to Aspergillus fumigatus were discovered in 27 employees. Neither the information given by the dust collectors nor medical examination results allowed the deduction of the presence of an allergy in the sense of typical health disturbances. Based on the results of this study, however, the immunological parameters may indicate a possible sensitization of the employees in the rubbish industry.