French Bakery Workers At High Risk Of Job-Related Asthma

Research presented at a recent European medical conference confirms that flour was the main cause of occupational asthma in 20 percent of 330 cases in France. Known as “baker’s asthma”, the condition occurs when flour – including its dust and enzymes – irritates the respiratory system, causing allergy-related symptoms. The second leading cause of occupational asthma was cleaning products containing ammonia (15 percent of cases). Workers in food manufacturing were at greater risk for asthma than farm workers, and women were at greater risk than men.