Abstract
Soybean and its processed forms have become an increasingly important part of agriculture, where they are widely used as an animal feedstuff and in an extensive range of human food products. This entails transportation from producer countries, largely the USA and South America, to importer destinations such as the EU and China. Soya is recognised as a dietary allergen, containing a number of identified allergenic proteins. Inhaled soya dust generated by occupational activities also causes respiratory health problems. Reports of “asthma epidemics” in harbour cities identified ill health in the community but were related to occupational activities of unloading/loading bulk soya without appropriate dust control measures. Inhaled allergens in already-sensitised individuals can cause a range of allergic symptoms in the eyes, nose, and respiratory tract, including occupational asthma (OA). Soybean dust can also cause health problems related to lung irritancy. Endotoxin and fungal contamination associated with soya are also potential respiratory hazards. This chapter reviews published data on ill health and symptoms from airborne exposure to allergens in dust from soybean and derivative products and the levels of exposure to dust and major allergens from a range of occupational activities. Other potential health hazards associated with soybean, such as endotoxin and fungal contamination, are also highlighted.
Highlights
Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) has become one of the most important, versatile globally traded commodities, being a widely used source of protein, oil, and biofuel
Exposure to soya dust and soya flour has been implicated in causing occupational asthma (OA) or other respiratory health symptoms in persons working in a variety of occupations, such as farmers, millers, soybean processors, and bakers [8, 26, 27, 41, 45, 47, 48]
Cross-reactivity studies with other legumes demonstrated apparent immunologic identity between a component in green pea extract and a soybean protein with a molecular weight of 17 kDa [8]. Overall these data confirm that the allergens caused by soya flour are predominantly higher molecular weight proteins, whereas the asthma epidemics in harbour cities were caused by low molecular weight proteins, the allergenic proteins, Gly m1 and Gly m 2
Summary
Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) has become one of the most important, versatile globally traded commodities, being a widely used source of protein, oil, and biofuel. Soybeans are crushed to form meal, typically used in animal feed, and oil. Soya hull is internationally traded as an animal feedstuff, providing a good source of digestible fibre, albeit of lower protein content of soya meal. The UK imports approximately two thirds as soya meal/hulls and one third as soybeans [2]. The UK only imports a relatively small quantity of soya oil, approximately 200,000 tons. Evidence from a number of sources identify proteins found in soybean and its products as respiratory allergens capable of producing a range of ocular and upper and lower respiratory symptoms, including asthma. This chapter focuses on both published evidence and our own studies related to the respiratory risk from airborne dusts related to soya
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