Asthma at work, part 1

Part 1: nature, extent and causes of occupational and work-related asthma

Summary:

We would like to thank the HSE for making this article open access. To read this article in full, please click on this link.

In the first of a series of articles on work-related asthma, David Fishwick and Nicholas Warren from the HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory explore the scale of the problem and the leading causes of this important class of occupational illnesses.

Asthma is a common condition in working-age adults, an important proportion of which is either caused, or aggravated, by exposures in the workplace. This introductory article is the first in a series that will deal with various aspects of work-related and occupational asthma. Future articles will cover the diagnosis, occupational management and prevention of the conditions, including occupational hygiene considerations, health surveillance requirements and other legal duties…

Professor David Fishwick is consultant respiratory physician and honorary professor of occupational and environmental respiratory medicine at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He is also chief medical adviser for the Health and Safety Executive. Dr Nicholas Warren is a statistician at the Health and Safety Laboratory

Author: Fishwick D, Warren N

Tags asthma exposure limits hazardous substances lung disease occupational disease

Occupational Health at Work August/September 2018 (vol. 15/2) pp25-30

Download full article CPD