Occupational asthma primary prevention
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief:
Overview
- According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), better education of workers, management, unions and medical professionals is the key to the prevention of OA. This will enable them to identify the risk factors and put in place preventive measures like masks or exposure limits, etc.
- Recovery is directly dependent on the duration and level of exposure to the causative agent. Depending on the severity of the case, the condition of the patient can improve dramatically during the first year after removal from exposure.
- Three basic types of procedures are used for treating the affected workers:
Primary Prevention
Reducing exposure
- This method is most effective for those affected by irritant-induced OA.
- Thus, by reducing their exposure duration and level to the causative agent, the probability of suffering another reaction is lowered. But exposure can be reduced in other ways like making use of face masks or providing better ventilation.
- Now, more and more di-isocyanate free spray paints are available.
- Similarly, most hospitals and healthcare companies have exchanged latex gloves for other materials. Thus, reducing exposure to known asthmagens can also be used as a preventive measure.
Removal from exposure
- Persons affected by OA that occurred after a latency period, whether a few months or years, must be immediately removed from exposure to the causative agent. This is their only chance of recovery.
- This entails severe socio-economic consequences for the worker as well as the employer due to loss of job, unemployment, compensation issues, quasi-permanent medical expenditures, hiring and re-training of new personnel, etc.
- According to recent research, the probability that those who suffer from OA remain unemployed longer than those who suffer from non-occupational asthma is higher. One solution to this problem is relocating the employee in the same company away from the causative agents.