Passive smoking at work linked to increased adult asthma
10 December 2009

Exposure to tobacco smoke at work has been linked to a 40% increased risk of developing asthma in young adults, according to an Asthma UK-funded study presented at the British Thoracic Society Annual Winter Meeting.  

The major study, led by Dr Debbie Jarvis at Imperial College, London in collaboration with other universities and occupational experts, used information on the job history of over 10,000 people born in Britain in the first week of March 1958.

Researchers examined the link between workplace exposure to a range of different agents including tobacco smoke, and the development of asthma between the ages of 16 and 33 (e. during the years 1974 to 1991).

The results showed that by age 33, over a third (38%) of the 1958 cohort had worked in a job in which exposure to agents known to cause asthma was likely.

About 1 in 20 (4.8%) reported they had developed asthma between 16 and 33 years.

Those working in jobs where exposure to environmental tobacco smoke was likely (for example waiters and bar workers) were 40% more likely to report the development of asthma than those unlikely to be exposed to it.

Dr Elaine Vickers, Research Relations Manager at Asthma UK, said: 'Shockingly, at least 1 in 10 cases of new or recurrent adult asthma can be attributed to substances people are exposed to at work. This research demonstrates the extent to which people in a variety of professions are put at risk.

'Every seven minutes someone in the UK is rushed to hospital with a life-threatening asthma attack, and the financial cost to employers is also substantial, with almost 13 million working days lost to asthma each year.

'Occupational asthma is completely preventable, unlike other types of asthma, so it is vital that all employers take asthma seriously to protect their staff as well their business. 'To help employers tackle the issue of asthma in the workplace Asthma UK has set up the Business Against Asthma scheme.'