Lung disease, and in particular occupational asthma is the fast growest occupational disease in the UK. Up to 30% of the population suffer from asthma, and all of these are at risk of exacerbation in some work environments.

Asthmatics are hyper-sensitive to changes in temperature – eg in cold room environments in the food industry, causing them to increase drug usage and/or increase sickness absence. Dusty environments can also cause problems – especially those with fine dusts, eg flours, wood dusts, spices. Exposure to these needs to be assessed and a person’s health monitored, especially if exposure is prolonged.

Please contact Caritas for further information.