Abstract

Asthma is associated with a variety of physical, chemical, and biological stimuli including those found in the workplace.The term “work-related asthma” (WRA), representing a subset of all asthma, encompasses both occupational asthma (OA), which is asthma that is caused by workplace exposure to a sensitizing or irritant substance, and work-exacerbated asthma (WEA), which is asthma that is worsened by work-related factors.
WRA is a preventable and underdiagnosed occupational lung disease associated with adverse social and economic outcomes, disability, and mortality.Workers who leave their jobs due to WRA often experience loss in income and/or unemployment.A French study followed workers with WRA for an average of 3.1 years after diagnosis. At follow-up, 44% had left their jobs, 25% were unemployed, and 46% had experienced loss in income.Among adults with asthma, those with WRA have a lower quality of life and more frequent emergency department and doctors' visits for worsening asthma. WRA caused by a number of workplace agents may also lead to death.

An estimated 6.7% of adults aged =18 years in the United States have current asthma. The American Thoracic Society has cited estimates that 4%–58% (median = 15%) of adults with asthma have WRA. Estimates of the proportion of adults with OA range from 10% to 15%, and estimates of WEA range from 14% to 58% (median = 21%). However, few such estimates have been published at the state level. The Adult Asthma Call-Back Survey (ACBS), part of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), offers a unique opportunity to provide this information for a large number of states. To determine the proportion of asthma that is work-related, we analyzed data from the 2006 and 2007 ACBS for each participating state.

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