Occupational Asthma


While they technically are not considered Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases, the exposure to pollutants and other environmental toxins often mimic the results of the traditional chronic pulmonary conditions like asthma . These exposures, often caused by work environments, cause thousands of cases per year of respiratory disorders, and are a major cause of lost productivity in the workplace. For example, in the United Kingdom, over 2,000 new cases of occupational asthma occur each year.

One characteristic of Occupational Asthma is that it appears to improve over long holidays and non-working weekends. Usually the cause of this condition is respiratory irritants in the workplace. Among these are Isocyanates (e.g. in twin-pack spray paints), Hardening/curing agents e.g. anhydrides, Rosin (colophony) fumes from soldering flux, Dusts from various cereals (including flour), Animals such as mammals (rats, mice) but also arthropods (such as locusts), Wood dusts - various e.g. Canadian red cedar, Aldehydes e.g. formaldehyde or glutaraldehyde, Cyanoacrylates (as in "superglue"), and Antibiotics.

The workers who are affected by occupational asthma usually fall into particular occupations These are wide-ranging and include such diverse fields as agriculture to woodcutter. The one thing that these occupations have in common is the exposure to dust and manufacturing byproducts or chemicals used in manufacturing processes. In some occupations, like those dealing with the refining of platinum, all workers who spend extended periods of time in those jobs will develop asthma. In others, some develop the symptoms and some do not, but outside factors such as smoking increase the likelihood of developing this condition.

How canworkers help to reduce their risk of occupational asthma. There really are some fairly simple personal protective measures which can be taken, and which greatly improves the chance of a worker not contracting occupationally related respiratory problems or other occupationally related injuries or diseases. These include:

gloves
goggles
masks
protective steel toe capped footwear

This and working to improve the quality of the work environment can help reduce the risks of occupational astham and the financial impact it has on the worker, the empolyer and the economy.

The copyright of the article Occupational Asthma in Lung Disease is owned by Floyd Tilton . Permission to republish Occupational Asthma in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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