15 September 2004 - New Guidelines for Occupational Asthma
The British Occupational
Health Research Foundation (BOHRF), supported by the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE), have published new guidelines for doctors and nurses, which
should help not only early diagnosis of asthma, but also, where the disease
may have been caused or aggravated by work or the workplace , as the early
diagnosis of this debilitating illness can prevent long-term damage to the
lungs.
Within the UK 4% of adults are asthma sufferers and at least in 1 in 10
cases, work or the workplace is found to be the cause.
Many asthma cases, where work is the cause or is a contributory factor, are
not reported, because doctors do not identify work to be the cause.
Within the new guidelines, doctors and nurses are asked to find out the
nature of the patients work and workplace, which will help in the prevention
of asthma.
Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission commented:
“Individuals, companies and professional bodies can all play their part in reducing cases of occupational asthma and consequent days lost. These new guidelines will help identify the disease at an earlier stage, enabling treatment to be given more quickly and reducing the number of cases”.
There are nine to causes of Occupational Asthma and related jobs as follows:
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Isocyanates - Spray painters, other metal or electrical processors, makers or repairers (mainly vehicle manufacture and mechanics), plastics workers
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Flour - Bakers and other food processors
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Grain - Farmers or farm workers
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Glutaraldehyde - Nurses, other non-metal or electrical processors (mainly darkroom technicians), other professional clerical and service occupations (mainly radiographers)
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Wood Dust - Wood workers
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Latex - Nurses and auxiliaries, laboratory technicians
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Solder/colophony - Solderers or electronic assemblers, other metal or electrical processors, makers or repairers
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Laboratory animals - Laboratory technicians, scientists and assistants, other professional clerical and service occupations (mainly medical/pharmacological research)
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Resins and glues - Metal and electrical processors, makers and repairers, construction and mining, other non-metal or electrical processors, makers or repairers, chemical processors.
Further information on the guidelines can be found by clicking this link: BOHRF
HSE has developed industry-specific guidance controlling exposure to substances that can cause occupational asthma and can be accessed on their web site - Asthma - Live Issues
Article by Alexandra Johnston
