Research published by Asthma Australia states that 1 in 10 people in Australia suffer from asthma.

Professor Lin Fritschi of Curtin University's School of Public Health estimates that between 1,000 and 3,000 new cases of asthma diagnosed annually could be attributed to workplace chemical and dust exposures.

Professor Fritschi, who was recently a guest speaker at the AIOH 2015 annual conference in Perth, led a research on asthma-causing agents found across Australian workplaces.

 "Approximately one in six cases of adult-set asthma is due to chemicals and dusts at work".

Asthma Australia describes the differences between occupational asthma and work-aggravated asthma. Occupational asthma is described as when a person experiences asthma symptoms at work and then their symptoms improve when they are away from work.

Work-aggravated asthma occurs when people who already have asthma are exposed to hazards such as gases or fumes, smoke or dusts that irritate their airways causing asthma symptoms to occur and aggravating their pre-existing condition.

There are several ways in which Occupational Hygiene can assist in the management and reduction of workplace hazards, including:

• Conducting a Health Risk Assessment
• Workplace atmospheric contaminant monitoring 
• Implementing control strategies and practices 
• Respirator Fit Testing 

For more information, contact Occuhealth on 08 9537 5700

A full list of chemicals and dusts found in Australian workplaces has been published at in The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

Credits:

'Researchers list chemicals and dusts causing asthma in the workplace'    - safetyculture.com.au (http://content.safetyculture.com.au/news/)

Asthma Australia  http://www.asthmaaustralia.org.au/work/