Occupational Asthma

You might not have given it a thought, but it's shocking just the same ... some jobs not only aggravate your asthma, they can actually cause it.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes a person's airways (bronchial tubes) to experience a particularly sensitive reaction to irritants. It's most often characterized by a difficulty breathing. While it cannot be cured, for most patients it can be controlled with the proper use of those medicines prescribed by the doctor, so that only minimal and infrequent symptoms are experienced.

Managing your asthma is an important part of a healthy life. This requires that you avoid those environmental influences that tend to irritate your airways. Which brings us back to our topic. Jobs which tend to cause asthma generally involve some form of dust, vapor or other fumes. Often the amount you inhale can be so small you won't even notice. You might not even suspect the source when asthma symptoms begin to show themselves.

This form of asthma is rightfully referred to as occupational asthma.

While it can certainly be as serious as any other form, if you and your doctor catch and treat it early enough there is some good news. When you stop breathing in the dust and fumes causing your occupational asthma, it will likely disappear. Unfortunately, the longer you continue working in an environment that causes the asthma, the greater the chance it will eventually become a permanent health condition. Even if someday down the road you stop the work and completely avoid the dust, vapors or fumes from then on out.

The sad truth is ... many people continue to work in a dangerous environment because they either haven't made the connection between their job and their developing asthma or they believe it's impossible to leave or change jobs. The result can be a serious hit on their health for the rest of their lives.

So make no mistake about it, if you suspect your job may be contributing to your asthma symptoms, you need to investigate the possibility. Not only might the offending conditions be affecting you, they might be affecting your co-workers and even others who are working in your industry.

The catch, of course, is that asthma is a common disease. Because you're experiencing symptoms does not necessarily mean they're related to your job. Obviously, blaming your workplace for you asthma can have serious repercussions on your employment. So you need to be sure, and you need to be cautious. The expense of improving working conditions can mean fewer jobs or in some cases no jobs at all in the future.

With this foundation in place, let's continue forward.

If your asthma always seems to improve on the weekends or when you're on holiday, the cause may be related to your work. As we've mentioned, dust and fumes in a wide variety of occupations (from working with animals to the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, to various other common trades) can cause asthma.

Here's a list of some of the more prevalent occupational asthma causes:

• Animals: mammals and insects.
• Enzymes in washing detergents
• Epoxy resin moulding
• Flour (bakery workers)
• Pharmaceutical industry (some drugs)
• Phthalates, e.g. in paints
• Platinum refining
• Polyurethane paints and plastic moulding
• Soldering (fumes from resin in soldering flux: mainly in electronics workers)
• Some wood dusts
• Textile dyes (reactive dyes)

Surprisingly, diesel fumes and many other substances that give off nasty odors do not appear to cause asthma. Though there is important evidence that they can cause allergic reactions.

If you suspect you're showing signs of occupational asthma, then consult an expert as early as possible. Remember, if your asthma is discovered early and treated, the result can often be a complete cure. But when occupational asthma goes undetected and untreated after years of working in an unhealthy environment, then you're very likely to be left with permanent asthma, either mild or severe.

 At A Glance

• Asthma can be caused or triggered by fumes and dust in your work place.
• If your work environment is dusty or involves working with chemicals, then it is important to be on the look out for the signs of asthma in you or your co-workers and seek immediate medical attention if you believe that you have asthma.
• Common early warning signs of asthma include fatigue, coughing (especially at night), wheezing, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, runny nose, and itchy throat.