Project duration: ongoing
Descriptors: Allergenic substances, working environment, work-related health hazards, biological agents
Reason/objective: The aim of the project is to develop and adapt workplace-relevant allergen quantification methods. Standard measurement protocols are being developed and implemented for prevention and assessment, ranging from sample collection at the workplace to measurement values and evaluation. Allergies can be described as a “widespread disease” and, according to conservative estimates, affect around 25% of the population in Germany (White Paper, Allergies in Germany, 5th edition; 2025). Approximately twice as many people are sensitized, meaning they may have antibodies to common environmental substances that can cause illness and lead to the onset of allergies later in life if they come into close contact with them.
Increased concentrations of allergen-contaminated dust can also occur in workplaces, schools, and daycare centers. For occupational health and safety, but also for assessment practices, the question arises as to whether and in what concentration allergens are present in the workplace. If the sensitizing allergen is also widespread outside the workplace, evidence of sensitization in the employee is not sufficient for the assessment. Quantification of the sensitizing allergen in the workplace is then regularly required.
Immunoassays are now available for some allergens, which in principle enable allergen quantification. However, these must be adapted and validated in terms of sensitivity and sample preparation methods for the dust collection methods used in the workplace, with personal airborne dust collection playing a particularly important role here. In addition, there are currently no detection methods for a number of workplace allergens, meaning that new quantification assays must be developed on an ongoing basis for specific issues.
Performance of the project: A standard specification for the measurement protocol, from sample collection to allergen quantification, will be developed for workplace-relevant allergens, which will then be used by accident insurance providers as needed. The sensitivity and reliability of allergen quantification depends on the entire process chain, consisting of sampling, sample preparation, sensitivity, and specificity of the immunoassays, which must be optimized for each allergen before allergens can be routinely quantified in the workplace. A database is gradually being created using reference samples from households in order to be able to better assess workplace measurements in the future, particularly with regard to ubiquitous allergens.
