Article addresses workers' lung ailments

"It used to be that mainly coal miners or people who worked with asbestos were the ones who came to doctors with lung disease from the workplace," he said. "But today, conventional workplaces like hospitals or construction sites are just as likely to cause respiratory disease. There's been a tremendous amount of new information pouring out in recent years. Doctors may see such patients and not realize the cause."

Respiratory problems caused by the workplace can range from a stuffy nose, sinusitis, or laryngitis, all the way to allergies, asthma, emphysema, and lung cancer. Common culprits include latex gloves, dust kicked up during construction, and everyday cleaning solutions.

Another cause of respiratory ailments is polyurethane foam, which can provoke asthma in roofers who use it as part of the sealing process. The same material in paints is the reason why auto-body shops are home to the largest number of workplace-induced asthma cases in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, according to Beckett. He added that most shop operators know the risks and have installed special ventilation systems and wear respirators.

Other lines of work that put workers at higher risk of respiratory disease include the following:

• The food industry--Mites and fungi often piggyback onto food dust and can infiltrate the lungs, causing allergies and asthma.
• Hospitals--In addition to problems caused by latex gloves, the chemicals used to sterilize instruments can sometimes cause allergies.
• Janitorial services--Custodians can be exposed to dangerous gases if they mix bleach with common detergents.

"What's important to realize is that most work sites are very safe and very healthy. But if a patient is having a respiratory problem, the physician should consider the patient's workplace when looking for the cause of illness," stated Beckett, whose work is supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

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