RESUMO
Between December 1989 and June 1990, 1,874 reports of alleged malathion application related illness from repeated spraying of a mixture of malathion corn syrup bait to eradicate a Mediterranean fruit fly infestation in Southern California were received by the Toxics Epidemiology Program of Los Angeles County. Among these complaints were 47 reports of urticaria, 38 reports of angioedema and 213 reports of a nonspecific skin rash. In order to determine whether these alleged skin reactions were the result of an immediate or delayed type of hypersensitivity reaction to malathion or to the corn syrup bait we studied ten subjects referred for testing by the local health department. All ten subjects had no reaction on patch testing. One child exhibited a positive reaction to the bait and one child had irritant reactions to malathion and to the bait. This study documented one case of a possible immediate IgE reaction to malathion bait. Due to the low participation rates in this study, no specific conclusions concerning the rate of sensitivity in the population can be drawn, although it appears that such reactions are uncommon.
Assuntos
Hipersensibilidade a Drogas/etiologia , Hipersensibilidade Tardia/etiologia , Hipersensibilidade Imediata/etiologia , Malation/efeitos adversos , Adulto , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Hipersensibilidade a Drogas/diagnóstico , Hipersensibilidade a Drogas/imunologia , Humanos , Hipersensibilidade Tardia/diagnóstico , Hipersensibilidade Imediata/diagnóstico , Testes CutâneosRESUMO
To better understand occupational lead exposures in Los Angeles County, we undertook a questionnaire survey of lead-using industrial facilities not previously identified by county health department staff. Previously our staff had identified 112 lead-using companies with approximately 2,000 lead-exposed workers countywide. For this survey, we developed a database of 1,353 possible lead-using industrial facilities from several sources, including community "right-to-know" databases, air pollution or sewer permit records, or other environmental databases. A questionnaire interview was completed with 1,001 (81%) of these companies, yielding 178 previously unidentified facilities employing 7,734 workers with potentially significant occupational lead exposures. Compliance with the OSHA lead standard was often poor in these facilities, particularly for workplaces with 20 or fewer employees. Devoting more public health resources to targeted identification of such industrial facilities and to educational outreach would likely help control occupational lead exposure.