Monitoring proteolytic enzymes for health and safety in the manufacturing environment. A review

The widespread application of proteolytic enzymes in many industrial sectors brings considerable benefits to modern industrial manufacturing and to the quality of life for human beings. However, as the enzymes are known potent respiratory sensitising agents, there are potential risks to workers on site and to the general public off-site, if these compounds are released into the atmosphere during their manufacture and processing. To ensure adequate containment within the factory, to protect factory workers and the general public, and to comply with health and safety legislations, it is necessary to monitor airborne concentrations of the enzymes in the workplace atmosphere. At present, however, workplace monitoring of industrial enzymes can only provide exposure data for retrospective use. There is an urgent need to develop rapid and sensitive monitoring methods which provide continuous data on a near real-time basis and detect sudden release of the sensitising material. This paper reviews the existing monitoring methods for proteolytic enzymes in the industrial atmosphere and some recent developments in this important field. Possible strategies for developing integrated sampling and detecting systems for near real-time monitoring of industrial proteolytic enzymes in the manufacturing environment are discussed.