Clinical Research Directory

Measures for Bioaerosol Reduction in the Salmon Industry

Workers in the salmon industry are at risk of developing allergies and respiratory diseases, including asthma, due to occupational exposure to bioaerosols, i.e. biological agents such as allergens, enzymes and endotoxins, in their work environment. The overall objective of this intervention trial is to identify effective and feasible control measures (interventions) that reduce exposure to these bioaerosols. The project comprises nine salmon processing factories in northern, central and western Norway. The factories are allocated to either one of the two intervention arms or the control group. In all factories, an assessment of exposure to bioaerosols will be performed. In addition, employees will be invited to undergo a health examination and fill out a self-administered questionnaire including information on demographics, work tasks, health and health promoting factors. The intervention trial is part of a broader study that comprises several substudies including the identification of clinically relevant allergens, investigation of exposure-response relationship between the exposure to individual bioactive agents in bioaerosols and investigations of prevalence of airway symptoms, altered lung function, skin symptoms or immunological responses indicating hypersensitivity. Finally the project includes the identification of health promoting factors that are present in the salmon processing industry. The project is an interdisciplinary multi-center study that places great emphasis on a close dialogue between the researchers and industry in all phases of the project.