Occupational Asthma

Details

• Personal Author:
  Vance NK
• Description:
  Farmers often encounter a myriad of respiratory hazards in their work environments, some of which have may cause work-related asthma and occupational asthma. Concerning the latter, organic matter encountered in such settings can contribute to occupational respiratory diseases. In general, adequate ventilation in work areas where hazards are encountered in high concentration, can be very important to reduce the degree of respiratory illness. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that 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. Occupational factors are associated with up to 15 percent of disabling asthma cases in the United States. Occupational asthma is caused by breathing in chemical fumes, gases, dust or other substances on the job. Occupational asthma can result from exposure to a substance you're sensitive to, causing an allergic or immunological response, or to an irritating toxic substance. According to the Mayo Clinic, occupational asthma can cause chest tightness, wheezing, and shortness of breath. People with allergies or with a family history of allergies are more likely to develop occupational asthma. Avoidance of occupational triggers is an important part of management. Otherwise, treatment for occupational asthma is similar to treatment for other types of asthma and generally includes taking medications to reduce symptoms. If you already have asthma, sometimes treatment can help it from becoming worse in the workplace. If it's not correctly diagnosed and you are not protected or able to avoid exposure, occupational asthma can cause permanent lung damage, disability or death. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Asthma, Occupational Farmers Health Promotion Occupational Health Public Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Safety Disease Prevention Health Promotion Injury Prevention Occupational Asthma Public Health Respiratory Diseases Respiratory Irritants Safety Education
• Publisher:
  The Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Newsletter
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054010
• Citation:
  Monthly Safety Blast. Tyler, TX: The Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education, 2018 Nov; :website
• Email:
  agcenter@uthct.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Center at Tyler
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Monthly Safety Blast
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c4e39b1ff597120c7bbb1800bb9501c8cd4bb28537210d5cfd0b9201c52948cde81da9b369284c095ff9efab864838818c7a302e7a7c618a87d13a579eaadee8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216661/cdc_216661_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 785.10 KB ]