Occupational Asthma: The Quick Reference
Occupational Asthma: the whole thing in five minutes, for when you want the numbers and nothing else.
Asthma caused or worsened by substances inhaled at work.
Key takeaways
- Key pattern: symptoms improve away from work and come back on return
- Common causes: flour, isocyanates, wood dust, latex, solder flux, animals
- Most useful single change: Tell your doctor if symptoms improve on vacation and return at work.
- Commonest mistake: Continuing exposure while waiting for a diagnosis.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
The numbers, in one place
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Key pattern | symptoms improve away from work and come back on return |
| Common causes | flour, isocyanates, wood dust, latex, solder flux, animals |
| Recordkeeping | many employers must log work-related illnesses for OSHA |
| Outcome | much better if exposure stops early |
In one paragraph
It is often reversible if the exposure stops early, and permanent if it continues, which makes recognizing the pattern urgent.
Worth doing
- Tell your doctor if symptoms improve on vacation and return at work
- Keep a peak flow diary covering work and non-work days
- Ask for referral to an occupational medicine doctor or a lung doctor (pulmonologist)
- Report it to your employer; they are responsible for controlling hazardous exposures
Worth avoiding
- Continuing exposure while waiting for a diagnosis
- Assuming adult-onset asthma is unrelated to work
- Relying on a rescue inhaler to keep working in the same environment
Related topics
- The Evidence on Asthma, Without the Hype (Respiratory Health)
- What the Guidance Really Says About Asthma and Allergy (Allergies)
- Lead in Homes and Water: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Environmental Health)
- The Evidence on Occupational Health, Without the Hype (Preventive Care)
Where to go next
- Understanding Occupational Asthma: A Plain-English Explainer
- A Working Checklist for Occupational Asthma
- Occupational Asthma — the reference entry
- Workplace Health: The Complete Guide
- Noise at Work: What Published Guidance Supports
- What the Guidance Really Says About Safe Lifting at Work
When to speak to a doctor
Call 911 if a rescue inhaler such as albuterol is not helping, if you are too breathless to speak in full sentences, or if your lips look blue. See your doctor promptly for new wheeze, cough or breathlessness that improves away from work — early removal from exposure substantially changes the long-term outcome.
Where this comes from
- MedlinePlus — Occupational asthma
- American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology — Occupational asthma
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.
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