Those with asthma have no doubt been advised by their doctors to steer clear of allergens that can cause asthma episodes. Managing the home is easy enough, but what about the workplace?

Vapors, dusts, fumes, or gases that dwell in the workplace and cause the airways to tighten up can cause Occupational Asthma. It doesn't take a lot of allergens to bring about an asthma episode in people who are highly vulnerable to irritants. Even though occupational asthma typically afflicts individuals who already have asthma in their family history, people who have never had asthma or allergies can also be affected. It has been estimated by the Harvard School of Public Health that occupational allergens have caused 15 to 20% of the cases of asthma developed in adulthood.

Diagnosing Occupational Asthma

Identifying your symptom patterns is the initial phase of diagnosing occupational asthma. Write down your symptoms, time of occurrence, and what you were doing when the episodes occurred. When making his or her diagnosis, your physician will question you about your work history and conditions in the workplace. Occasionally, your health care provider will administer a challenge test, meaning that you will inhale a possible allergen to accurately target your triggers.

Treating Occupational Asthma

Treating asthma of any kind, including Occupational Asthma, involves staying away from triggers. However, you probably can't just quit your job or take off whenever your suspect an asthma episode coming. If you can, try to relocate to a different department, or change your work requirements to stay away from allergens. If either of these options is not possible, installing a HEPA, or High Efficiency Particulate Air can lower the amount of irritants and allergens in the air around your workplace. If need be, your health care provider can prescribe an asthma medication for relief your symptoms.

If you smoke, quit. If you don't, stay away from secondhand smoke. This will help lessen occupational asthma symptoms. Not only will inhaled cigarette smoke raise the risk of lung cancer, but it can worsen your asthma symptoms. The American Lung Association has found that sufferers of occupational asthma that switch jobs and stop smoking are more likely to recover from their asthma than those who change jobs by still smoke.

By the millions, workers regularly come in contact with airborne substances that can bring about occupational asthma. If this includes you, keep track of your symptoms in a journal. This simple act is essential to identifying your triggers in the workplace and maintaining your bodily health.