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Occupational Medicine Advance Access originally published online on October 1, 2008
Occupational Medicine 2008 58(8):545-550; doi:10.1093/occmed/kqn130
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Sodium metabisulphite induced airways disease in the fishing and fish-processing industry

M. Steiner1, A. Scaife1, S. Semple1, G. Hulks2 and J. G. Ayres1

1 Department of Environmental & Occupational Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZP, UK
2 Department of Chest Medicine, Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, UK

Background Sodium metabisulphite (SMBS) is recognized as a potential cause of airway irritation and possibly occupational asthma, but awareness of its use in the fishing and fish-processing industry is low.

Aims and methods To describe three cases of occupational airways disease due to SMBS exposure and to review the literature.

Results Three patients, one trawlerman and two prawn processors, developed work-related airways disease due to exposure to SMBS, one with irritant-induced asthma with a positive-specific bronchial challenge associated with very high sulphur dioxide exposures, one with occupational asthma and one with vocal cord dysfunction and underlying asthma. Of the nine cases recorded in the literature, most were non-atopic and responses to specific bronchial challenge when undertaken showed an immediate response. Exposures to sulphur dioxide in these settings are very high, in excess of 30 ppm.

Conclusion SMBS should be regarded as a cause of occupational airways disease and its use in the fish and prawn-processing industry investigated further to better identify risks from exposure and handling of the agent in the workplace.

Keywords      Asthma; bronchial challenge; fish-processing industry; occupational exposures; sodium metabisulphite; sulphur dioxide

Correspondence to: M. Steiner, Department of Environmental & Occupational Medicine, Liberty Safe Work Research Centre, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill Road, Aberdeen AB25 2ZP, UK. Tel: +44 1224 558188; fax: +44 1224 551826; e-mail: m.steiner{at}abdn.ac.uk


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