More than 250 agents are known to cause occupational asthma. So it's not surprising that 15% of cases of disabling asthma in the U.S. are associated with work-related factors. Here's a brief overview of occupational asthma and what to teach your workers to help them avoid developing it.

The Disease and Its Symptoms

Occupational asthma is a lung disease that is caused by inhaling dusts, fumes, vapors and other potentially harmful materials while at work. Symptoms include:

• Wheezing;
• Shortness of breath;
• Chest tightness; and
• Coughing.

Persons who are frequently exposed to substances associated with occupational asthma are at risk of contracting the disease. Especially vulnerable are individuals who have preexisting allergies or a family history of asthma,

Substances that Cause Occupational Asthma

Among the more than 250 substances that have been identified as causing occupational asthma are:

• Chemical dusts and vapors such as those that come from plasticizers;
• Chemicals used to manufacture insulation and packaging materials, foam mattresses and upholstery;
• Diisocyanates, anhydrides and acids used to make paints, varnishes, adhesives, laminates and soldering resins;
• Enzymes such as those used in detergents;
• Flour conditioners;
• Meat tenderizers;
• Lung irritants like sulfur dioxide and smoke;
• Metals such as nickel sulfate; and
• Soldering fumes.

The risk doesn't come just from chemicals. Animal dander and hair, fur and scales can also cause occupational asthma. Certain plant substances can also pose a danger. Perhaps the best known of these is the natural latex rubber used to make gloves and other products.

How to Protect Your Workers

Here are the steps you can take to protect your workforce against occupational asthma:

1. Explain the Hazards

When teaching workers about the hazards of the chemicals they use, be sure to address occupational asthma. Make sure you inform workers who work with the chemicals listed above (and others) that can be irritants and promote an allergic response over time that may lead to occupational asthma.

2. Explain How Occupational Asthma Can Develop

Explain the three different ways in which occupational asthma may develop:

• The first is as an immediate reaction as result of exposure to a lung irritant, like ammonia or environmental smoke.
• The second is over a long time, even years. Such development patterns are often associated with repeated exposure to materials that cause an allergic reaction.
• The third pattern also involves development over a long period as a result of exposure to substances in the workplace that cause the body to increase the production of chemicals like histamines that trigger an asthma attack.

3. Encourage Each Worker to Assess His or Her Risk

Encourage workers to self-identify if they have allergies or a family history of asthma to determine if they need to be placed in another area or in another job category. In addition to helping your workers, this asthma prevention strategy can save your company a great deal of money and aggravation.

4. Tell Workers How to Protect Themselves

Teach workers what to do to avoid developing occupational asthma including:

• Avoiding jobs that expose them to known causes of occupational asthma if they have allergies or a family history of asthma;
• Having regular check ups and discussing with their doctors the tasks they do at work;
• Receiving proper training on the safe handling of materials;
• Using proper protective techniques; and
• Recognizing the causes and symptoms of occupational asthma and how to react if those symptoms manifest themselves.

Conclusion

Of course, worker education is only part of the battle. Engineering controls are also an important step in preventing occupational asthma. Make sure that your organization uses the most modern and protective methods possible to help protect workers and prevent them from developing this illness.

OCCUPATIONAL ASTHMA

Assessing the Risks

By Catherine Jones

There are many causes of occupational asthma. Here's just a partial list of occupations and offending substances related to these jobs:

• Carpenters - western red cedar
• Pharmaceutical employees - methyldopa
• Poultry workers - amprolium hydrochloride
• Bakers - wheat
• Auto body workers - resins, sealants, glues
• Pulp mill employees - chlorine
• Electronics workers - colophony
• Hairdressers - persulphate salts
• Healthcare workers - glutaraldehyde
• Laboratory workers - formaldehyde
• Printers - toluene diisocyanate
• Cement workers - potassium dichromate
• Welders - stainless steel fumes
• Foam manufacturers - diphenylmethane diisocyanate
• Cosmetic manufacturers - carmine

ASK THE EXPERT

Last Call for Barry Weissman Questions

BARRY WEISSMAN, REM, CSP, CHMM, CHS-IV, CIPS
Vice President
Hillmann Group, LLC

We've decided to give you one more week to pose questions to SafetyXChange expert, Barry Weissman. Don't miss out on your last chance to get answers on pressing matters involving general industry safety, training, chemicals, TSCA (Toxic Substance Control Act), RCRA (hazardous wastes), homeland security and emergency response planning.

Submit your questions to glennd@bongarde.com.

About Barry Weissman

Barry R. Weissman, REM, CSP, CHMM, CHS-IV, CIPS has been involved in environmental health, safety, emergency management and business continuity planning for over 25 years.

Currently, he is the Vice President for Hillmann Group, LLC in Union, New Jersey where is responsible for their training program for clients, lead safety program and emergency response planning and business continuity programs.

Barry has worked in many and varied industries such as, consulting, pharmaceuticals, plastics, lubricants and consumer products. He has worked with solvents, inks, paints, textiles, plastics, oils, lubricants, building materials, precious metals, paper and cosmetics.

A Registered Environmental Manger (REM), a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), Barry is also Certified in Homeland Security, Advanced Level IV and most recently has become a Certified Infrastructure Preparedness Specialist (CIPS).

Barry holds Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture, a Masters in Business Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University and is a graduate of the Master Gardener Program with Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service. He also holds a Certificate in Training and Development from both Middlesex County College and the New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management Training Department.

He is an active member with the American Society of Safety Engineers, New Jersey Chapter, the New Jersey Section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, both the New Jersey Chapter and the National Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Mangers and the National Fire Protection Association. Barry was just appointed to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Technical Committee for NFPA 1620, Recommended Practice for Pre-Incident Planning.

He is a life-member with the Middlesex County New Jersey Office of Emergency Management where is a Unit Leader and Training Officer.

Barry is also a SafetyXChange advisor and host of SafetyXChange's first ever webinar earlier this month. When he's not helping companies with their safety problems, Barry and his wife tend their Japanese Stroll Garden with its Koi pond and their specialty plant - Hostas.

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