Abstract

The causal agents present in the workplace are the origin of occupational asthma (OA), with 50 to 70 workers affected every year in Québec. The most common type of OA is the result of sensitization to these allergenic substances. Demonstration of the resulting allergy is therefore an essential step in a clinical investigation or prevention program. The researchers’ goal is to develop an in vitro basophil activation test (BAT) for evaluating the reaction of a given worker to many allergenic substances, in his general environment as well as in his workplace. The BAT will improve the diagnosis of OA as well as establish preventive measures in hazardous environments where workers who have developed an allergy can be closely followed.