Utilization of Personal Protective Equipment by Laboratory Personnel at a Large Medical Research Institution

Abstract

The federal Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (1985) recognizes allergy to laboratory animals (ALA) as an occupational hazard and calls for the development of methods for its prevention. The prevalence of symptomatic ALA (rhinitis and/or urticaria) ranges from 15–33 percent, and its costs include not only the medical consequences of chronic atopic disease but also the loss of highly trained personnel.

Employers at many laboratory animal facilities provide personal protective equipment (PPE) as a preventive measure to reduce the risk of ALA. A survey of the use of PPE by a sample of laboratory animal personnel at a large medical research institution is reported here. During the week surveyed, 171/210 persons (81%) did not use any respiratory PPE (e.g., respiratory masks), indeed, 61/210 (29%) did not use any PPE whatsoever. Failure to use any PPE was related to the type of animal(s) to which the staff was exposed and to the work task performed, as well as certain demographic factors, educational achievement, and job title.

Traditional industrial hygiene approaches to control the concentration of laboratory animal allergen in the air should be evaluated, particularly engineering controls.