Occupational Asthma

Occupational Asthma (PDF)

 This information sheet is designed to inform teenagers and adults about the occurrence, causes and treatment of occupational asthma.

Cases of occupational asthma have been reported where the individual is sensitive to trigger factors that occur in the workplace.  It may take some time to diagnose workplace asthma, and regular peak flow measurements can help with this. 

Some people find that they are free of symptoms at the weekends and during the holidays, but symptoms then recur when they return to work.  Some people may find that symptoms occur when they are doing a particular task at work, whereas others may find their symptoms are triggered in certain areas within the workplace.  These may result from exposure to gas or dust irritants or working in a cold, dry environment, particularly when physical effort is required.  Where fumes, dust and fine particles can be a problem, safe work practices and procedures should be in place to avoid unnecessary exposure to hazards.  Precautions might include the use of personal masks and respirators, air filtration and installation of exhaust fans over equipment.

People who develop asthma as an adult should consider and investigate the possibility of an occupational cause.  Once occupational asthma is diagnosed, the best option is for the worker to move to another area where they are not exposed to the environmental agents responsible.  This may result in considerable financial loss to the individual, particularly where their skills cannot be easily transferred to another area or retraining is involved.

Treatment for occupational asthma is similar to that for ordinary asthma, based on the use of the preventative corticosteroids and removal of the triggering agent.  It is inappropriate to continue treatment and remain in the same offending environment, as this may lead to the development of more severe asthma.

In general, those who are diagnosed early with occupational asthma and move away from the triggering agent at the earliest opportunity, avoiding ongoing exposure, can expect their asthma to improve and may become symptom free.  However those who have been diagnosed late after exposure for many years, may find that they require ongoing treatment to keep them free of symptoms despite avoiding continued exposure.

For people with asthma it may be wise to avoid jobs where there is a high possibility of exposure to triggers factors that may be a problem.

On the following page are some jobs where occupational asthma has been diagnosed with the identified triggering agent: