In brief:
- Global and UK health organisations have urged action to reduce exposure to asthma triggers as many of the over 450,000 annual deaths worldwide are preventable.
- The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has highlighted the ongoing risk of occupational asthma from substances like flour, wood dust, and particularly respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in industries such as stone fabrication.
- Employers have been advised by the HSE to implement preventative measures, including tailored guidance for high-risk jobs and considering pre-existing conditions in risk assessments, as workplace exposures can cause or worsen asthma.
In detail:
Marking World Asthma Day on 6 May, Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) have urged governments, industry leaders and employers to take action to reduce exposure to known triggers, especially in occupational settings.
Despite advances in treatment, asthma continues to claim more than 450,000 lives each year worldwide, with the majority of these deaths considered preventable, according to GINA.
GINA has further stressed the need for increased awareness and prevention strategies, especially in light of the availability of effective treatment using inhaled corticosteroids.
In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have issued a renewed warning about occupational asthma, a condition caused or worsened by breathing in hazardous substances at work.
Using numbers from the Labour Force Survey, HSE has estimated that there have been 20,000 new cases of self-reported ‘breathing or lung problems’ caused or made worse by work averaged over the last 3 years.
HSE cited the ongoing threat posed by respiratory sensitisers such as flour, wood dust, isocyanates and respirable crystalline silica (RCS), a hazardous component found in stone, bricks and concrete.
Exposure to RCS, even in small amounts, can lead to serious lung diseases including occupational asthma and silicosis.
Workers in stone fabrication, particularly those manufacturing and fitting kitchen worktops, are considered at high risk.
To address this, HSE has released tailored guidance developed in collaboration with the industry, outlining practical measures to limit dust exposure for these workers.
Occupational asthma develops when the body’s immune system reacts to a substance in the workplace, leading to inflammation and narrowing of the airways.
HSE has warned that once the lungs become hypersensitive, further exposure even at quite low levels, may trigger an attack. Common signs include coughing, wheezing and breathlessness.
Although not all sensitised individuals develop full-blown asthma, the consequences can be long-lasting or life-threatening if undiagnosed or unmanaged.
Certain occupations continue to report high rates, including bakers and vehicle paint sprayers.
Isocyanates, used in spray paints and foam products, remain the most frequently cited cause, followed by flour dust in food processing environments.
For those with pre-existing asthma, work-related exposure to irritants such as chlorine, general dust and even cold air can also exacerbate symptoms.
HSE has urged employers to consider this in their workplace risk assessments, ensuring that vulnerable individuals are not exposed to unnecessary triggers
The new worktop installer guidance and a summary list of asthmagens can be found on the HSE website.
