The HSE has decided to ask doctors and practice nurses to help prevent occupational asthma by asking patients more information about their daily lifestyles such as the nature of their work and their workplace.
The new guidelines have been published by the British Occupational Health Research Foundation (BOHRF), and have been supported by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). These new guidelines will help doctors and practice nurses recognise and report asthma cases where the disease may have been caused or made worse by daily work activities. Initial identification of the asthma cause is alarming when prescribing and determining the treatment and preventing long-term damage and destruction to the lungs.
For one in ten adults who suffer from asthma, work is usually the cause. There are between 1,500 and 3,000 new cases of asthma each year, costing society around £1.16 billion over the next ten years. But these figures are under-estimate; many asthma cases go unreported because doctors do not identify work as the possible cause. And many more cases, though not caused by work, are made worse by it.
Asthma causes much loss and energy and the disease can strip people of their health and their livelihood. It is very common in the UK, where 4% of all adults are asthma sufferers.
To control and responsive treatment for asthma, all individuals, organizations, institutions and professional bodies can play a vital role in reducing and minimizing the causes of occupational asthma and consequent days lost. These new guidelines will help identify the disease at an earlier stage, enabling treatment to be given more quickly and reducing the number of cases.”
Some of the top main causes of asthma are Isocyanates, Flour, Grain, Glutaraldehyde, Wood Dust, Latex, Resins and glues.
Exposure to substances that can cause occupational asthma is controlled by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 and the Approved Code of Practice.
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