[1] Sensitizer-induced occupational asthma is an immunologic form of asthma which occurs due to inhalation of specific substances (i.e., high-molecular-weight proteins from plants and animal origins, or low-molecular-weight agents that include chemicals, metals and wood dusts) and occurs after a latency period of several weeks to years.
[2] Reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS) is a severe form of irritant induced asthma where respiratory symptoms usually develop in the minutes or hours after a single accidental inhalation of a high concentration of irritant gas, aerosol, vapor, or smoke.
WEA is present in about a fifth of patients with asthma and a wide variety of conditions at work, including irritant chemicals, dusts, second-hand smoke, common allergens that may be present at work, as well as other "exposures" such as emotional stress, worksite temperature, and physical exertion can exacerbate asthma symptoms in these patients.
A number of diseases have symptoms that mimic occupational asthma, such as asthma due to nonoccupational causes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), irritable larynx syndrome, hyperventilation syndrome, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and bronchiolitis obliterans.
Some patients may also develop upper airway symptoms such as itchy eyes, tearing, sneezing, nasal congestion and rhinorrhea.
[3] Symptoms may develop over many years as in sensitizer-induced asthma or may occur after a single exposure to a high-concentration agent as in case of RADS.
[2][6][7] Agents such as flour, diisocyanates, latex, persulfate salts, aldehydes, animals, wood dusts, metals, enzymes usually account for the majority cases; however, the distribution of causal agents may vary widely across geographic areas, depending on the pattern of industrial activities.
Boiler cleaners, gas turbine cleaners Vanadium Car sprayers Hexamethylene diisocyanate Cement workers Potassium dichromate Chrome platers, chrome polishers Sodium bichromate, chromic acid, potassium chromate Nickel platers Nickel sulphate Platinum chemists Chloroplatinic acid Platinum refiners Platinum salts Polyurethane foam manufacturers, printers, laminators Diphenylmethane diisocyanate Rubber workers Naphthalene diisocyanate Tungsten carbide grinders Cobalt Welders Stainless steel fumes Drugs and enzymes Occupation[13] Agent[13] Ampicillin manufacturers Phenylglycine acid chloride Detergent manufacturers Bacillus subtilis Enzyme manufacturers Fungal alpha-amylase Food technologists, laboratory workers Papain Pharmacists Gentian powder, flaviastase Pharmaceutical workers Methyldopa, salbutamol, dichloramine, piperazine dihydrochloride, spiramycin, penicillins, sulphathiazole, sulphonechloramides, chloramine-T, phosdrin, pancreatic extracts Poultry workers Amprolium hydrochloride Process workers, plastic polymer production workers Trypsin, bromelin Woods Occupation[13] Agent[13] Carpenters, timber millers, woodworkers Western red cedar, cedar of Lebanon, iroko, California redwood, ramin, African zebrawood Sawmill workers, pattern makers Mansonia, oak, mahogany, abiruana Wood finishers Cocabolla Wood machinists Kejaat
[1] Specific inhalation challenges test consist of exposing the subjects to the suspected occupational agent in the laboratory and/or at the workplace and assessing for asthma symptoms as well as a reduction in FEV1.
The authors suggested that the benefit of a better improvement in air quality be weighed against the potential for a higher risk of job loss.
The employer not only pays compensation to the employee, but will also have to spend a considerable amount of time and energy and funds for hiring and training new personnel.
[25] However, this can entail severe socio-economic consequences for the worker as well as the employer due to loss of job, unemployment, compensation issues, medical expenditures, and hiring and re-training of new personnel.