An Immunologic and Genetic Study of Asthma in Workers in an Aluminum Smelter

• Published in: Journal of occupational medicine 1990-10, Vol.32 (10), p.1022-1026
• Main Authors: Mackay, Ian R., Oliphant, Robert C., Laby, Betty, Smith, Margaret M., Fisher, John N., Mitchell, Robert J., Propert, David N., Tait, Brian D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; AEROSOLS; Allergic diseases; alpha 1-Antitrypsin - metabolism; ALUMINIUM; Aluminum - adverse effects; Analysis of Variance; ANTIBODIES; Antibodies, Antinuclear - analysis; ANTIGENS; ASTHMA; Asthma - etiology; Asthma - genetics; Asthma - immunology; Autoantibodies - analysis; Biological and medical sciences; BIOLOGICAL MARKERS; Blood Group Antigens - genetics; BLOOD GROUPS; COLLOIDS; DISEASES; DISPERSIONS; ELEMENTS; EPIDEMIOLOGY; GLOBULINS; HLA Antigens; Humans; IMMUNOGLOBULINS; Immunoglobulins - metabolism; Immunopathology; Medical sciences; Metallurgy; METALS; OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; ORIGINAL ARTICLES; PERSONNEL; PHENOTYPE; PROTEINS; RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT; RESIDUES; Respiratory and ent allergic diseases; RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES; SMELTERS; SMOKES; Smoking - immunology; SOLS 560300 > Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology; TOBACCO SMOKES; TOXICITY
• ISSN: 0096-1736; 2332-3795

The cause or causes of asthma among employees in aluminum smelters is unknown. We attempted to ascertain whether such workers who developed asthma differed in respect to indices of immunological function and certain genetic markers. Data were collected from 33 asthmatic and 127 nonasthmatic potroom workers. Asthmatic workers had significantly lower mean serum levels of immunoglobulin (Ig)M; however, mean levels of IgG and IgA, median levels of IgE, the capacity for recall of delayed type hypersensitivity, levels of immune complexes, and frequency of antinuclear or other autoantibodies did not differ from values for nonasthmatic workers. Asthma was found to develop on a background of atopy in 21 workers (64%), whereas there were no features of atopy in 12 workers (36%). Cigarette smoking had independent effects on immunological function. In respect to genetic markers, there was a higher frequency among asthmatic workers of the α-1-antitrypsin deficiency phenotype MS, but the frequency of blood groups, Gm allotypes, or human leucocyte antigen types was similar. The study established that the profile of immune function, or genetic markers tested, did not differ essentially for workers in an aluminum smelter who did or did not develop asthma; however, there was an indication of heterogeneity in causation, as judged by "atopy-related" and "non-atopy-related" groups in the asthma population.