Question- What is the route of exposure for the development of occupational asthma in workers in the seafood industry?
Answer- The cited reference notes: “Exposure to seafood has been shown to occur primarily through inhalation of dust, steam, vapors and seafood proteins generated during cutting, scrubbing or cleaning, cooking or boiling, and drying activities. Aerosolized sea- food particulate (muscle, exoskeleton, visceral contents, skin slime/mucin, collagen) produced during processing and fishmeal operations as well as seafood allergens present in the steam and vapors has been identified as the potential route for sensitization and the development of asthma. (Jeebhay MF and Cartier A. Seafood workers and respiratory disease: an update. 2010 Curr Opinion Allergy Clin Immunol 10:104-113)