Abstract
While the cannabis industry is one of the fastest growing job markets in the United
States and globally, relatively little is known about the occupational hazards that
cannabis production workers face. Based on the closely related hemp industry and preliminary
studies from recreational cannabis grow facilities, there is concern for significant
respiratory exposures to bioaerosols containing microbial and plant allergens, chemicals
such as pesticides, volatile organic compounds, and other irritant gases. Components
of the cannabis plant have also recently been identified as allergenic and capable
of inducing an immunoglobulin E-mediated response. Accumulating evidence indicates
a spectrum of work-related respiratory diseases, particularly asthma and other allergic
diseases. Disentangling causal relationships is difficult given the heterogeneity
of mixed exposures, diagnostic challenges, and confounding by personal cannabis use.
Despite and because of these uncertainties, better regulatory guidance and exposure
controls need to be defined in order to reduce the risk of work-related disease.
Keywords
cannabis - allergens - occupational lung disease - occupational exposure
