according to a training course i had to take:
44% of people working with lab animals develop allergies to one or more species. this usually happens within the first three years, although the general range is considered to be a little as a month, up to nine years.
80% of these symptoms in allergic individuals are upper respiratory (sneezing, running/itchy nose and eyes), and 20-30% of these are lower respiratory (broncho-constriction/asthma)
the likeliness of developing one of these allergies stems (partially) from atopy which is the tendency to develop some forms of allergies, which is more prevalent in males than females (47% vs 37%)
#just imagining some guy who has worked in a lab for YEARS going about his normal routine only to be left sniffling and itchy from an#allergy he didn’t know he had#and like he’s probably wearing gloves so he can’t touch his face and his nose is running and he just has to keep sniffling#and he doesn’t want to make any loud noises becuase that would scare the animals so he just has to try to do these half stifles that don’t#relieve anything and this has never happened before so he doesn’t have meds but he can’t just stop what he’s doing becuase he has work to do#snz#snzario#can you tell i’m a nerd
