Abstract
We report a 6-year study from 1979 through 1985 of workers exposed to trimellitic anhydride (TMA) in three groups of volunteers. Twenty-nine percent of workers ( 5 17) originally studied had immunologically induced respiratory disease. Subsequent to this evaluation, increased environmental control of TMA exposure was instituted. Since that time, there have been decreasing clinical symptoms and decreasing levels of antibody against TMA conjugated to human serum albumin. These long-term studies originally used radioimmunoassays, but enzyme-linked immunoassays against TMA-conjugated proteins are now demonstrated to be equally appropriate and are more cost-effective. With appropriate clinical and immunologic studies, immunologic airway reactions to TMA may be identified and then prevented by environmental control to decrease inhalation exposure to TMA. This is likely applicable to certain other chemical antigens that immunize by inhalation.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 147-152 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology |
| Volume | 80 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 1987 |
Funding
From the Section of Allergy-Immunology and the Section of Ck-cupational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, III., and the *Medical De-partment, 3M Co., St. Paul, Minn. Supported by United States Public Health Service, National Insti-tute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Grant AI I 1403, and the Ernest S. Bazley grant. Received for publication Oct. 6, 1986. Accepted for publication Jan. 24, 1987. Reprint requests: Leslie Crammer, M.D., 303 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60611.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology
