Is it possible to get occupational asthma from dry resin or hardener?

I was consulted recently by a ceiling carpenter who installed ceilings made of rhinoboard and a resin or hardener. He cut the ceilings with an angle grinder so lots of dust. Developed asthma while doing this (no prior asthma). Asthma worse at work. My question is: resins and hardeners are well established causes of asthma in their manufacture and during exposure while mixing. But what about exposure once the resin or hardener has dried i.e. exposure to the dust? Thanks

Occupational Asthma, Specialist, 7/1/2008, 7/3/2008,

Here are some of the references found by searching for "resin and dust". They appear helpful at first glance. Burge PS, Colophony hypersensitivity revisited, Clin Exp Allergy, 2000;30:158-9, Lemiere C, Desjardins A, Cloutier Y, Drolet D, Perrault G, Cartier A, Malo JL, Occupational asthma due to formaldehyde resin dust with and without reaction to formaldehyde gas, Eur Respir J, 1995;8:861-865, Sparks PJ, Peters JM, Respiratory morbidity in workers exposed to dust containing phenolic resin, Int Arch Occup Environ Health, 1980;45:221-229,

7/2/2008

I believe that Rhinoboard is a cement-based product. There are many workers who have asthma related to cement manufacture, it may account for work-related asthma seen in people exposed to building dust during renovations. Cement is very alkaline and if not mixed with iron contains hexavalent chrome, the principal cause of contact dermatitis from cement and a possible cause of occupational asthma. I would have thought that the cement was a more likely cause of the asthma than the resins. Some adhesives can cause asthma when finished products are cut, particularly if heating occurs, this is best recognised with isocyanates provided that the heating is at a low enough temperture to stop degredation and a high enough temperature to release the diisocyanate (often around 100 (C) De-Raeve H, Vandecasteele C, Demedts M, Nemery B, Dermal and respiratory sensitization to chromate in a cement floorer, Am J Industr Med, 1998;34:169-176, Leroyer C, Dewitte JD, Bassanets A, Boutoux M, Daniel C, Clavier J, Occupational asthma due to chromium, Respiration, 1998;65:403-405, AbouTaleb AN, Musaiger AO, Abdelmoneim RB, Health status of cement workers in the United Arab Emirates, J R Soc Health, 1995;115:378-381, Alakija W, Iyawe VI, Jarikre LN, Chiwuzie JC, Ventilatory function of workers at Okpella cement factory in Nigeria, W Afri J Med, 1990;9:187-192, Olaguibel JM, Basomba A, Occupational asthma induced by chromium salts, Allergol Immunopathol, 1989;17:173-176, Lob M, Respiratory allergy to cement, Z Unfallchir Vers Med Berufskr, 1985;78:47-50, Fueki R, Kuramuti G, Togawa M, Kobayashi S, Shichijo K, Kikaki Y, Ookawa A, Studies on cement asthma, Jap J Allergol, 1972;21:665-66*,

7/3/2008