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Eur Respir J 2005; 25:386-388
Copyright ©ERS Journals Ltd 2005

Metabisulphite-induced occupational asthma in a radiographer

R. Merget and M. Korn

Research Institute for Occupational Medicine of the Institutions for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention (BGFA), Institute of the Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany

CORRESPONDENCE: R. Merget, BGFA, Bürkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, 44789 Bochum, Germany. Fax: 49 2343024542. E-mail: merget@bgfa.de

Keywords: Asthma, metabisulphite, occupational, radiographer

Received: February 25, 2004
Accepted June 17, 2004

ABSTRACT

There is epidemiological evidence for an increased prevalence of occupational asthma among radiographers. However, the causes of darkroom disease are not yet defined.

A 37-year-old female radiographer reported work-related asthma ~2 yrs after starting work in a local hospital. She was atopic and showed bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine. Occupational-type exposure with a fixing agent, but not with a developer, produced an immediate-type asthmatic reaction. As the fixing agent contained sodium metabisulphite (SMBS), a substance known to cause asthma, bronchial challenges with SMBS were performed in the patient and nine asthmatic controls.

The patient showed a positive bronchial immediate reaction on 2 separate days after inhalation of 48 and 96 µg SMBS, and one control also showed a significant fall in forced expiratory volume in one second after inhalation of 12 µg SMBS. The positive reaction in the control subject argues for a greater susceptibility of both persons to SMBS or its reaction product sulphur dioxide, rather than for a new occupational allergen.

It is concluded that sodium metabisulphite exposure should be recognised as a cause of darkroom asthma.






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Copyright © 2005 by the European Respiratory Society.