Occcupational Asthma

Have you ever made the comment, " I'm sick of going to work?" I'm sure you have, just like all of us, but what if you really were? What if going to work made you sick? It really happens to some people, who suffer from a condition called Occupational Asthma.

Occupational asthma is a condition which affects thousands of people every day. It is caused by exposure to respiratory irritants in the workplace, such as dust, vapors or fumes. These irritants cause wheezing, shortness of breath, and all of the other common symptoms of asthma, and these symptoms worsen as the workday goes on, then subside when the workday ends. As exposure to these irritants continues over time, the tendency for them to subside lessens and eventually the worker may suffer permanent lung damage as a result.

There are ways to control this condition, such as medication, wearing a mask, and others, but the best way is to eliminate the irritant in the work environment. This is not easy to do, however, since many companies either can't or won't spend the money to change the things necessary to limit exposure. They can't, for example, because the very nature of the job involves working around these materials. If a bakery, for example, had an employee who was developing this condition due to exposure to wheat dust, it would not be possible to remove the dust. If you did, you would have to remove the basic ingredient of the product being produced, and the company would be unable to survive.

The tragedy is that some companies can, but won't limit exposure. I remember when I was growing up, there was a small town near us which had as its main business a battery factory. Auto batteries, as you know, are made up of lead and acid, in this case sulfuric acid. The sulfur fumes in and around the factory were often so heavy that you could actually see a yellow tint to the air. When the company was ordered to correct this problem, they refused. They said that the expense involved in cleaning up the factory would be so great that they would not be able to continue operation. The town, when faced with the possibility of losing its primary source of employment, sided with the company and fought the Environmental Protection Agency for years over the requirement to provide a clean, safe environment. Eventually, the plant closed and relocated, but the damage to the respiratory systems of town folk and workers was already done.

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