Evidence of occupational asthma

A 2012 report by the Royal College of Physicians says that around one in six cases of asthma in people of working age is either caused or made worse by work. Its guidance advises hospital doctors to question patients with respiratory problems about their job, the materials they work with and whether their symptoms improve when they are not at work. Unions have been warning of the extent of occupational asthma in the UK since at least 1995.

Royal College of Physicians report is available at:

www.rcplondon.ac.uk/sites/default/files/concise_guidance_diagnosis_management_and_prevention_of_occupational_asthma.pdf

HSE guidance on asthma: www.hse.gov.uk/asthma