Response to: Correspondence on "Association between occupational exposure to irritant agents and a distinct asthma endotype in adults" by Andrianjafimasy et al

We read with interest the letter by Burge et al related to our publication on occupational exposure to irritants and asthma endotypes.1 Burge et al comment on the definition of irritants, an issue regularly discussed in the field of work-related asthma.2 A concern expressed by Burge et al is that the Occupational Asthma Job-Exposure Matrix (OAsJEM), used to evaluate exposure to irritant agents in our study, includes among the list of irritants some agents well-known as low molecular weight sensitisers, namely isocyanates, acrylates, epoxy resins and amines. We would like to take this opportunity to clarify some aspects of the OAsJEM. The OAsJEM, a revised version of the former asthma-specific JEM, evaluates exposure to 30 specific agents, classified in several large groups such as ‘high molecular weight’, ‘low molecular weight’ or ‘irritant’, based on a consensus from international experts, as described previously.3 Because...

Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine - April 12, 2022 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Andrianjafimasy, M. V., Febrissy, M., Zerimech, F., Dananche, B., Kromhout, H., Matran, R., Nadif, M., Oberson-Geneste, D., Quinot, C., Schlünssen, V., Siroux, V., Zock, J.-P., Le Moual, N., Nadif, R., Dumas, O. Tags: PostScript Source Type: research