Scots to track workplace asthma
11 May 2005

A new database which will monitor occupational asthma in the north east of Scotland has been developed by researchers at Aberdeen University.

The system could help to give a clearer picture of the incidence of occupational asthma and also raise awareness of the thousands of people in Britain who develop asthma symptoms in the workplace.

Each year in the UK, 750,000 employees who have asthma find that conditions at work trigger their symptoms. Up to a further 3,000 people develop occupational asthma because of the substances they are exposed to while doing their jobs.

The research team, led by Professor Jon Ayres, head of the university's department of environmental and occupational medicine, is launching the 'Scottish Shield' system to monitor workplace asthma.

Chest physicians will use an online database to input specific details about patients who suffer from occupational asthma, bronchitis and rhinitis. Patients will then receive a follow-up questionnaire six months later.

'The information from the database will enable us to get a better idea of the incidence of the condition in Scotland and will raise awareness of the risks of this exposure, thus helping us work with employers to reduce the risk to their workforce,' explained Professor Ayres.

'While it is important to know how many people are affected by these conditions we know relatively little about what happens to them over time,' he added. 'For instance, whether they are still exposed to the agent which caused their condition at work, have they moved to another job and do they still have symptoms.'

Ensuring your rights in the workplace

'It is outrageous that almost a million people in the UK are in a working environment that makes them sick,' agreed Donna Covey, Chief Executive of Asthma UK.

'Asthma at Work - Your Charter', was recently launched by Asthma UK to help employers address this issue. The charter sets out ten recommendations to reduce the impact of asthma in the workplace, and provides information on asthma triggers and symptoms, instructions on what to do if someone is having an attack, and guidelines for employers on making the work environment an asthma-friendly zone.