Occupational Asthma

Occupational Asthma Menu Workers' Rights

Possible Solutions

The prevention of occupational asthma requires environmental interventions and medical management tools such as, patient education, demonstrating behavior changes to avoid asthma triggers, using drug therapies, and frequent medical follow-ups to treat and identify asthma patients. The following references provide information regarding possible solutions for hazards associated with occupational asthma.

  • Transitioning to Safer Chemicals: A Toolkit for Employers and Workers. OSHA, (2013). OSHA has developed this step-by-step toolkit to provide employers and workers with information, methods, tools, and guidance on using informed substitution in the workplace.
  • The Work-Related Lung Disease Surveillance Report, 2002. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2003-111, (2003). Provides information on various work-related respiratory diseases and associated exposures in the United States.
    • Asthma. Section 9. Describes where asthma is occurring (by industry, location, race, gender, age, and occupation), how frequently it occurs, and temporal trends, according to studies performed from 1990 through 1999.
  • Control of Dust From Powder Dye Handling Operations. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 97-107, (1997). Describes ways to control dust from powder dye and handling operations to prevent occupational asthma.
  • Preventing Asthma in Animal Handlers. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 97-116, (January 1998). Lists the types of workers who are more susceptible to animal-related asthma, as well as methods for control.
  • Preventing Allergic Reactions to Natural Rubber Latex in the Workplace. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 97-135, (June 1997). Describes latex allergy reactions from mild skin irritations to asthma and anaphylactic shock.
  • Preventing Asthma and Death from Diisocyanate Exposure. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 96-111, (1996). Contains information about preventing asthma or other respiratory diseases from employee exposure to diisocyanates.
  • Allergic Diseases. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Information Resources. Provides resources for patients, including addresses, phone numbers, and websites for NIAID-supported centers researching asthma, allergy, and immunologic diseases.
  • Occupational Asthma and Farming. National Ag Safety Database (NASD), Michigan State University (MSU) Extension, (April 2002). Provides an overview of farming hazards that can cause occupational asthma.