Abstract

Occupational asthma remains a common disease in the UK, with up to 3000 new cases diagnosed each year. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimate the cost to our society to be over £1.1 billion for each 10-year period . In October 2001, the Health and Safety Commission agreed a package of measures aimed at reducing the incidence of asthma caused by exposure to substances in the workplace by thirty per cent by 2010. Key to this aim are primary prevention by proper risk assessment and exposure control together with secondary prevention to ensure reduction in the delay between the development of allergic symptoms at work (normally nasal or respiratory) and appropriate advice to the affected worker and workplace.