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Occupational Asthma   

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1. Asthma

Asthma due to sensitisation

Many different agents encountered at work can stimulate a hypersensitivity response and cause asthma.  The more prevalent causes are:

• laboratory animals

• grain dusts

• flour

• enzymes

• latex

• wood dusts

• colophony

• diisocyanates

• acid anhydrides

• complex platinum salts                (Baxter et al., 2000)

Asthma due to Irritation - Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS)

High level exposure to irritant gases, usually a single incident, cause an inflammatory response of the airways resulting in an increase of airways reactivity which may last for months or even years (Brooks, 1985).  Asthma-like symptoms arise abruptly within hours of exposure to excessive concentrations of an irritating gas, vapour, fume or dust (Baxter et al., 2000).

Further information on occupational asthma is provided in the "occupational asthma section" of this website.

References:

1. Brooks SM. 1985. Occupational asthma. Chest. 87 (Suppl): 218-222

2. Baxter P, PH Adams, Aw Tar-Ching, A Cockcroft and JM Harrington. 2000. Hunter's Diseases of Occupations 9th Ed, Arnold. London pp 123-178

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