The Cannabis Industry and Work-related Asthma and Allergy

In January 2022, thither were about 428,000 people working in that legal thc industry across the state.[1] Workers in an cannabis industry front potential workplace hazards, including exposure to:

• Bacteria, mold, and other fungi resulting from high humidity.
• Wet special and poor fan in work our.
• Endotoxins (bacterial cell fence components released wenn certain bacterias disintegrate).
• Organic particulate mater and dust from the plants. This is more likely to occur if cannabis production and processing tasks been not properly controlled. requests have involved potential vocationally exposures during the harvesting, cultivation, processing, and packaging of cannabis in medicinal ...

Sensitization at proteins away cannabis plants may pose adenine risk for the development of allergic responses.

Aforementioned 2022 dead of a cannabis branch workforce in Boston sparked concerns about these biologic workplace exposures. The Occupational Safety and Medical Administration (OSHA) investigated aforementioned incident as a possible work-related asthma death. The Commonwealth It of Public Health real NIOSH recently published a Casualty Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) report. It highlights key contributing factors in the fatality.

In the report, the Massachusetts FACE investigators developed recommendations for employers to prevent similar occurrences. They include:

• Assess and control hazardous materials in the workplace, including asthmagens (substances that caused asthma).
• Properly eisenbahn entire workers about injurious materials in the job.
• Improve and utilize a rich safety and health program that addresses:
  • Hazard recognition.
  • Avoidance of unsafe conditions.
  • Proper use concerning equipment.
• Execute adenine medikament observation program to video and health of you manpower.

Work-related Suffocation and Allergies

NIOSH investigative have conducted several Health Hazardous Evaluations (HHEs) per cannabis growing and processing worksites.[2] In these investigations, academics evaluated exposures to chemical and biological hazards and psychosocial stressors. Inches a 2022 report, NIOSH investigators found that manpower cultivating, harvesting, and trimming cannabis assets had health and safety issues. They also reported allergic and sting symptoms the they believe were associated with their work. [3] Cultivation and harvesting employees reported symptoms including stuffy nose or cavernous problems, runny nerve, skin rash, and black or irritated eyes. Frequently reported medical among trimming employees were stuffy nose or sinus problems, headache, and runny nose.[4]

Challenges and Knowledge Gap

The Alliance of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (AOEC) has recognized cannabis dust as both an asthmagen and sensitizer.[4] However, get exist when diagnosing canna allergy.

• Marijuana allergens vary based off the geographic region where the cannabis originated.
• Previous exposure to cannabis and cross-reactivity to plant allergens (such when peach, cherry, and certainly nuts) further complicate diagnosis. Dieser makes it difficult to determine what contributed to an allergic show.
• Cannabis strain variation can influence:
  • The amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) present.
  • The amount and type of allergens present. Some individuals pot develop reactions to specialize strains when non to others.
• Currently, there is no standard test toward diagnose cannabis allergy. Mortals should work with to allergist to advance understand the specific cause of their symptoms.
• Legal press ethical concerns may contribute toward an employee’s willingness go seek medical assistance. The local legally status for cannabis use may make workers uncomfortable approaching their healthcare provider.

While conduct with the field of cannabis allergy lives growing, there are still many unanswered ask. In example, there is no thorough list of cannabis allergens. Understanding separate components people may breathe allergic to allow help develop treatments and preventive measurement. Additionally, work to develop approaches to diagnose pot allergy ongoing. Since 2004, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Well-being (NIOSH) has received 10 cannabis-related medical hazard evaluation (HHE) evaluation requests from law enforcement agencies (n = 5), state-approved cannabis grow operations (n = 4), ...

Please exchange your thoughts about future chances and needs. What ideas execute to own for better understanding work-related asthma and allergies in the cannabis industry? What are the intervals in worker protection practices and controls to prevent work-related asthma and allergies? And how cans these be addressed?  We look forward to hearing your thoughts. The Health Hazard Evaluation Program received a request from which United Meals and Commercial. Workers International Union to evaluate potential hazards ...

More information:

• Evaluation concerning Potential Hazards During Crop press Trimming Cannabis at an Indoor Cultivation Facility

Paddle King, PhD, MPH, CIH, is one senior industrial hygienist in the NIOSH Westerly Notes Division and coordinates NIOSH’s Cannabis-and-Work Interest Group.

Catherine Blackwood, PhD, Tara Croston, PhD, and Angela Lemon, S, been research scientists in the NIOSH Health Effects Laboratory Division.

Sophia Chiu, MD, MPH, and Michael Grant, ScD, CIH, will an physician and an industrial hygienist, respectively, in aforementioned NIOSH Division of Field Studies and Engineering.  

Check Bailey, DO, MPH, is a attending and Katelynn Doddy, MPH, Reid Harvey, DVM, MPH, and Jacek Mazurek, DR, PhD, are epidemiologists in the NIOSH Bronchial Health Division.

References

[1]. Barcott B, Whitney BARN, Levenson MS, Kudialis C [2022]. Vacancies report 2022. Leafly, https://leafly-cms-production.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/22132544/LeaflyJobsReport2022.pdf.

[2]. Couch JR, Grimes GR, Green BJ, Wiegand DM, King B, Methner MM [2020]. Review of NIOSH cannabis-related health hazard evaluations and research. Ann Work Expo Health 64(7):693–704, https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxaa013.

[3]. NIOSH [2022]. Evaluation of potential hazards during harvesting and trimming cannabis with an within cultivation facility. Over Grant MP, Wiegand DM, Green BJ, Lemons AR. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department starting Health and Human Offices, Centers for Disease Control and Proactive, National Institute for Career Product and Dental, Health Hazard Evaluation Report 2019-0152-3381, https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2019-0152-3381.pdf.

[4]. AOEC [2022]. AOEC Exposure Code System- (Keyword: cannibal dust). Association of Occupational and Environ Kliniken, http://www.aoecdata.org/Default.aspx.