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In recent decades, in the US and in Western and Northern Europe, there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of atopic allergic disease. Although that increase may now be slowing, or have already reached a plateau, there remains considerable interest in the factor or factors that may have caused this increased susceptibility to allergy and asthma. Certainly, the changes recorded have been too rapid to implicate a change in the gene pool, and for that reason attention has focused on the possible impact of environmental, dietary, and lifestyle factors. Although the hygiene hypothesis proposes that increased susceptibility to allergic sensitization is associated with changes in childhood exposure pathogenic microorganisms, other factors have been considered also. Among these is exposure to chemicals and atmospheric pollutants. There is some evidence that exposure to certain chemicals may elicit or exacerbate respiratory reactions in those who are already sensitized, or who already have existing airway disease. However, a recent article has proposed that exposure to specific household cleaning products may be one factor that is able to affect susceptibility to allergic sensitization. In the light of that article it is timely now to consider again the ability of chemical exposure to influence sensitization to common antigens. more...

The aim of this study was to characterise acute poisoning cases admitted to a number of selected hospitals in South Africa. All cases admitted to eight hospitals, from January 2005 to June 2005, were evaluated retrospectively. Data obtained from the hospital medical records included the following: demographic characteristics, toxic agents, length of hospital stay, circumstances of poisoning, morbidity and mortality information on the poisoned patients. From a total of 424 patients admitted for treatment, whose median age was 17.6 years, 57.8 % were females, and 89.6% black Africans. Fifty-nine percent of the poisonings were accidental, and the involved toxic agents were, in descending order: household chemicals (45.7%), modern medicines (17.5%), animal/insect bites (15.8%), agrochemical chemicals (9.7%), food poisoning (5.4%), drugs of abuse (3.3%), traditional medicines (2.4%), and plants (0.2%). Poisoning by drugs of abuse was commoner in males than females, but the percentage of females poisoned by all... more...

A survey was conducted to determine the extent of exposure of women of child-bearing age and their families to household chemicals and medicaments, and the prevalence of neonatal jaundice in the exposed and unexposed families compared. Significant exposures to naphthalene, insecticides, mentholated balms, mentholated powders, and traditional herbs occurred in 45-87% of the families studied. The overall incidence of jaundice did not differ significantly in neonates from households with or without positive history of drugs/chemical exposures. Severe neonatal jaundice, as judged by the need for exchange blood transfusion or death of the infant, was however, significantly more frequent among neonates from families with positive history of naphthalene exposure than in those with negative history. Some household chemicals and medicaments may be important in the pathogenesis of neonatal jaundice in our environment, and health education aimed at eliminating exposure neonates and pregnant women to such agents is urgently necessary. more...