Study: Hundreds of Substances Cause Workplace Asthma

Tuesday, December 8, 2015 | 0

Researchers in Australia have compiled a list of asthma-inducing substances that might be present in workplaces.

The 277 asthmagens identified in the study were divided into 27 groups. The authors said it’s the first comprehensive list of its kind.

The findings were published last month in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 

Professor Lin Fritschi of Curtin University, one of the report’s authors, told MedicalXpress.com that the list includes latex, flour, isocyanates found in paint, animal hair and rat urine, among others.

The authors said the list will help businesses reduce the risk of occupational asthma. It will also give regulators information that might be used to improve worker health.