Potential Occupational and Non-Occupational Risk Factors for Workplace Exacerbation of Asthma

Details

• Personal Author:
  Derk SJ ; Henneberger, Paul K. ; Mehta AJ ; Milton DK ; Sama SR
• Description:
  There is limited information on the risk factors associated with workplace exacerbation of asthma (WEA). This paper utilizes preliminary findings of the baseline phase of the Workplace Exacerbation of Asthma Study. Adults 18-44 years old with asthma were selected from a health maintenance organization population and requested to complete a telephone questionnaire. Adults with WEA were distinguished from other adults with asthma by having both exposure to asthmagens at work and worsening of symptoms or increased use of asthma medications in association with exposures at work. Those with and without WEA were compared on several past and current factors possibly associated with WEA. At the mid-point of data collection, there were 332 employed participants. Twenty-four percent (n=79) of the 332 participants had experienced WEA during the previous 12 months. Individual history of cigarette smoking, allergies and respiratory diseases, parental history of allergies and asthma, past asthma and occupational factors, and exposures in the home environment varied little by WEA status. WEA was associated with a history of a high-level exposure incident (HEI) to gases, smoke, or fumes resulting from a large one-time spill, accident, or fire. Most of the HEI in both groups had occurred > 2 years prior to interview. The odds ratio for WEA given an HEI was 3.1 (95%CI 1.8-5.6), from logistic regression controlling for gender and smoking. Few differences existed between adults with and without WEA regarding potential risk factors. However, adults with asthma who had a history of a high-level exposure incident were at increased risk for having work-related exacerbation of symptoms. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Hypersensitivity Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Smokers Surveys And Questionnaires Workplace
• Keywords:
  Allergies Humans Occupational-exposure Questionnaires Respiratory-system-disorders Risk-factors Smoking Work-environment Workplace-monitoring
• ISSN:
  1073-449X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary ; Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  167
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20023054
• Citation:
  Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2003 Apr; 167(7):A503
• Email:
  zuz9@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• NORA Priority Area:
  Disease and Injury: Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2003 International Conference, The American Thoracic Society, Seattle, WA, May 16-21, 2003
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:01fb93a94dec47c3b566fd12e6123a305bd5ee3896823a8de0c104424acbcc74d6ea9d2394b85edd80e58cb9e0d2b5d50292a13038186c25a827aa97b92b5aef
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/199639/cdc_199639_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 792.58 KB ]