"Is Allergy to Industrial Enzymes Used in Household Detergent Products Stable in The General Population?"

It has long been recognized that industrial enzymes used in household detergent products can cause respiratory allergy, and therefore that occupational exposure must be carefully controlled.This is achieved by the extensive application of measures to control the airborne concentration, including encapsulation in inert casings, as well as the requirement for employees to wear personal protective equipment.In contrast, although their use in consumer products should always be subject to rigorous safety assessment, consumer exposure cannot be similarly controlled.Over a decade ago, data suggested consumer use did not lead to allergy (an asymptomatic frequency of 0.23% skin prick test positives was found).Since then, consumer use has increased and it is timely to revisit this matter.Given the difficulties of a general population survey, we interrogated data generated when employees begin work in detergent or enzyme manufacturing industries.Starters are assessed to provide baseline information on whether they already have enzyme-specific IgE.This medical screening showed that of 8289 new employees (6317 male / 1972 female), 18 individuals (16 male / 2 female) had positive tests for IgE to either protease (14 cases) and/or amylase (10 cases).This frequency of positive individuals, at 0.22%, is lower, but not significantly different (p < 0.01).Although this population is neither the same as that tested previously, nor a perfect surrogate for the general consumer population, it is concluded it demonstrates that current consumer use of laundry/cleaning products containing enzymes is generally safe and not a cause of respiratory allergy.