Occupational asthma is asthma that is caused by a workplace irritant or activity, or worsened by it. The irritant may be a chemical fume, dust, or a gas. The sufferer has the same symptoms as in non-occupational asthma, which includes chest tightness, wheezing, shortness of breath, and often difficulty breathing out.
Occupational asthma is reversible if the patient is diagnosed and treated early enough. Long-term exposure to workplace irritants often causes worsening symptoms and chronic (long-term) asthma.
Treatment for occupational asthma is basically the same as for asthma that is not work-related. However, an individual with occupational asthma may have the option of avoiding the irritant, by either changing jobs or working with his/her employer for better working conditions.
Many irritants in the workplace can trigger occupational asthma. The most common one being wood dust, grain dust, animal dander, fungi, diisocyanates and other chemicals.
Diisocyanates are manufactured for reaction with polyols in the production of polyurethanes. Polyurethanes are widely used in high resiliency flexible foam seating, rigid foam insulation panels, microcellular foam seals and gaskets, durable elastomeric wheels and tires, automotive suspension bushings, electrical potting compounds, high performance adhesives and sealants, Spandex fibers, seals, gaskets, carpet underlay, and hard plastic parts.
According to the World Health Organization, between 2% to 20% of all asthma rates in industrialized nations are cases of occupational asthma.
The USA Department of Labor says “An estimated 11 million workers in a wide range of industries and occupations are exposed to at least one of the numerous agents known to be associated with occupational asthma”.