Work-Related Asthma: Causes, Symptoms and Prevention

Key points

• Asthma narrows and inflames the airways of the lungs.
• Work-related asthma is asthma caused or made worse by something at work.
• More than 300 known workplace substances can cause or worsen asthma.
• Its symptoms are the same as any other asthma.

When to suspect work

New asthma, or asthma that is getting worse, in a working adult should raise the question of workplace causes. Symptoms can start soon after an exposure — or months or years after repeated exposure.

Signs that work may be to blame:

• symptoms ease on weekends, vacations or other time away from work (though sometimes only after a long break);
• breathing problems start at work — and sometimes continue after leaving.

Asthma can develop even when a worker wears a respirator or mask.

Symptoms

• Wheezing
• Coughing
• Chest tightness
• Shortness of breath

They can come and go, and not everyone has all of them.

Common workplace triggers

Irritants, allergens and physical conditions, for example:

• animal dander, insects, dust mites and cockroach debris
• chlorine-based cleaning products
• cigarette smoke and wood smoke
• cold air and physical exertion
• dust from wood, grain, flour or green coffee beans
• gases such as ozone
• irritant chemicals, strong fumes, and chemical vapors such as ammonia, isocyanates and solvents
• metal dust
• pollen and plants
• mold and other exposures from indoor water damage

Getting diagnosed

A doctor diagnoses work-related asthma. Tell yours about your job, tasks and the materials you use, and consider keeping a record of when and where symptoms happen. After an exam, the doctor may order:

• breathing tests — peak flow readings, spirometry or a methacholine challenge;
• allergy tests on the skin or blood;
• x-rays or other imaging, if something other than asthma is suspected.

Treatment

The most important step is stopping or reducing exposure to the triggers. Work with your doctor on a personal asthma control plan. Two kinds of medicine are common:

• Quick-relief (rescue) inhalers, such as albuterol or levalbuterol, open the airways during attacks or flare-ups.
• Long-term control medicines, such as inhaled corticosteroids, reduce airway inflammation to prevent symptoms. When they work well, rescue inhalers are needed less.

Videos

NIOSH's Faces of Work-Related Asthma series — doctors and patients on the condition, its diagnosis, impact and treatment:

• What is work-related asthma? (Spanish)
• Diagnosis (Spanish)
• Impact (Spanish)
• Treatment (Spanish)

Sources

Based on "Asthma (Work-related)," National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain. The page's stock photographs are not reproduced.