Abstract
ObjectivesTo investigate the prevalence and the severity of fragrance-related symptoms among hairdressers in Denmark compared with the Danish general population. Further, to characterize former hairdressers who are severely chemically intolerant to fragranced products in relation to sex, age and health- and work-related reasons for leaving the hairdressing profession.MethodsThe study population consisted of all hairdressers who graduated from the public vocational schools in Denmark during 1985 and 2007 (n = 7840) and a random sample of individuals from the Danish general population (n = 6000). Both populations received a postal questionnaire on symptoms from inhalation of fragranced products and the resultant behavioural consequences. All former hairdressers also answered additional questions on health- and work-related reasons for leaving the profession.ResultsNo differences were found in the prevalence (OR = 1.0, CI = 0.89–1.14) or the severity (OR = 1.1, CI = 0.80–1.51) of symptoms from inhalation of fragranced products in hairdressers compared with the general population. Among hairdressers, however, experience of fragrance-related symptoms (OR = 1.2, CI = 1.01–1.31) and adjustments of social (OR = 1.8, CI = 1.12–2.80) and occupational conditions (OR = 2.8, CI = 1.84–4.25) were reported significantly more often by former hairdressers than current hairdressers.ConclusionsThe prevalence and the severity of fragrance-related symptoms were similar in hairdressers and the general population. Former hairdressers were more affected by fragranced products than current hairdressers were. Although fragrance-related symptoms did not seem to be more frequent among hairdressers, the hairdressing profession might pose a problem for those who are chemically intolerant.
Highlights
Chemical intolerance is commonly reported in the general population [1,2,3] and is characterized by reports of non-specific symptoms triggered by exposure to common airborne chemicals
Data from occupational clinics and environmental health centres show that the majority of referred MCS patients are less commonly employed within occupations that are presumed to involve a higher risk of frequent or intense chemical exposure such as the construction and manufacturing industry [15,16,17,18]
The hairdressing population was mainly composed of women younger than 50 years of age, whereas individuals from the general population had a more even sex and age distribution as expected
Summary
Chemical intolerance is commonly reported in the general population [1,2,3] and is characterized by reports of non-specific symptoms triggered by exposure to common airborne chemicals. Reports of chemical intolerance reactions are the main characteristic of the condition referred to as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) [4,5]. These reactions are frequently reported in patients with asthma and eczema [6]. Hairdressing can be regarded as a high-risk occupation involving daily exposure to multiple airborne chemicals from hair dyes, permanent waving solutions, hair bleaching products and fragranced products, which are reported to be one of the most frequent triggers of MCS symptoms [1,17,19,20,21,22]. The aims of this study were 1) to investigate the prevalence and the severity of fragrancerelated symptoms in hairdressers in comparison with the general population and 2) to characterize former hairdressers who are severely chemically intolerant to fragranced products in relation to sex, age and health- and work-related reasons for leaving the hairdressing profession
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