Work-related asthma surveillance, Massachusetts, 1995 - 2008

Details

• Personal Author:
  Fitzsimmons K
• Description:
  This issue of the Bulletin includes a summary of cases of work-related asthma (WRA) identified in Massachusetts from 1995-2008. Although the number of cases identified by the surveillance system is believed to be only a small fraction of the total number of persons with WRA in the Commonwealth, the data provide important information about the industries and occupations where workers are at risk and about workplace exposures that need to be addressed. Cases of work-related asthma (WRA) are sentinel health events that indicate the need for preventive intervention. Massachusetts and four other states conduct surveillance to identify cases of WRA and describe industries, occupations and exposures that need attention. For surveillance purposes, a case of WRA is defined as an individual with a physician's diagnosis of asthma and an association between the asthma symptoms and work. WRA includes two main categories: 1) pre-existing asthma aggravated by workplace exposures, and 2) new-onset asthma caused by sensitizers or irritants in the workplace. Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS) is a subset of new-onset asthma distinguished by persistent asthma symptoms caused by a one-time high level irritant exposure. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asthma Asthma, Occupational Diagnosis Hazardous Substances Health Personnel Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Airway-resistance Bronchial-asthma Diagnostic-tests Disease-prevention Employee-exposure Health-hazards Occupational-diseases Occupational-exposure Occupational-health Physicians Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory-system-disorders Surveillance-programs Work-environment Worker-health Workers

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• Publisher:
  Massachusetts Department of Public Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20042630
• Citation:
  SENSOR Occup Lung Dis Bull 2010 Aug; :1-2
• Contact Point Address:
  Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Surveillance Program, 250 Washington Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02108
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• Performing Organization:
  Massachusetts State Department of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  SENSOR Occupational Lung Disease Bulletin
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0fc86124fc7ee00bafda3040f9e032606899a6d40371f4e0f60c702ce117b7826500361e0eec396e9c3711ed72c6cca703a8b3d3061c6b48c7a9984290ac3e58
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/194796/cdc_194796_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 91.48 KB ]