Asthma in the Workplace

Asthma can be caused and aggravated by occupational factors in working adults. Agents that are responsible for occupational asthma are either sensitizers or irritants. Prevention is important to reduce the impact of the disease. This new edition of Asthma in the Workplace focuses on recent developments that are reflected by an impressive addition to the scientific literature. This fifth edition retains key elements that have made the success of previous editions: world-wide contributors, variety of topics covered, presentation of key aspects using workplace scenarios and case histories. This new comprehensive edition is intended to be of interest for health professionals, researchers, students, practitioners and various professionals involved in the assessment and management of workers exposed to occupational factors that may cause or exacerbate asthma.

Key Features

    Comprehensive coverage of all aspects of work-related asthma, including historical aspects, epidemiology and risk factors, mechanisms and genetics, other types of work-related asthma conditions and variants, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, occupational urticaria and dermatitis

    Assessment of the worker and workplace along with management of the worker, prevention and medicolegal aspects

    Of interest not only to pulmonologists, but also for industrial hygienists, researchers, lawyers and other health professionals in the field of work-related conditions

    Detailed information about specific agents, including a variety of high- and low-molecular weight agents

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Part I : Introduction

1. Definition and classification of asthma in the workplace
Susan M. Tarlo, Olivier Vandenplas, David I. Bernstein, Jean-Luc Malo

2. Historical aspects of occupational asthma
Jack Pepys, I. Leonard Bernstein, Jean-Luc Malo, Susan M. Tarlo

3. Disease occurrence and risk factors
Mohamed F. Jeebhay, Paul K. Henneberger, Nicole Le Moual, Jean-Luc Malo, Susan M. Tarlo

4. Mechanisms, genetics, and pathophysiology
Piero Maestrelli, Adam V. Wisnewski, Christopher Carlsten, Xavier Munoz, Hung-Chang Tsui, Jeroen Vanoirbeek, Jean-Luc Malo, David I. Bernstein

Part II : Assessment

5. Assessment of the worker
André Cartier, Kenneth D. Rosenman, Nathalie Bourdeau, Pierre Phénix, Pierre Séguin, David Fishwick, Jean-Luc Malo

6. Assessment of the workplace
Gert Doekes, Monika Raulf, Dick Heederik, Carrie A. Redlich
(Editors: Susan M. Tarlo, Jean-Luc Malo)

7. Immunological and inflammatory assessments
Catherine Lemière, Joaquin Sastre, Monika Raulf, Piero Maestrelli, Olivier Vandenplas

8. Functional assessment
Hille Suojalehto, Vicky C. Moore, Gianna Moscato, P. Sherwood Burge, Jean-Luc Malo, Olivier Vandenplas

Part III : Management

9. Management of the worker
David N. Weissman, Santiago Quirce, André Cartier, Jean-Luc Malo

10. Prevention
Susan M. Tarlo, Rolf Merget, Eva Suarthana, Julie McKibben, Jean-Luc Malo

11A. Impairment and disability evaluations: I. Psychosocial, economic, and medicolegal aspects
Kim L. Lavoie, Katelynn E. Dodd, Jacek M. Mazurek, Philip Harber, Sheiphali Gandhi, Paul D. Blanc, Kjell Toren, Jean-Luc Malo

11B. Impairment and disability evaluation: II. Various legislations
Mohamed F. Jeebhay, Philip Harber, Xaver Baur, Marcos Ribeiro, Hae-Sim Park, Ilenia Folletti, Ryan Hoy, Jean-Luc Malo

Part IV : Specific agents causing immunological occupational asthma

12. Occupational asthma in the baking industry
Paul Cullinan, Torben Sigsgaard, Mohamed F. Jeebhay, Monika Raulf (Editor: Susan M. Tarlo)

13. Asthma and allergy to animals, fish and shellfish
Mohamed F. Jeebhay, Karin Pacheco, Andreas L. Lopata, Jean-Luc Malo

14. Polyisocyanates and their prepolymers
Athena T. Jolly, Piero Maestrelli, Carrie A. Redlich, Jean-Luc Malo, David I. Bernstein

15. Western red cedar and other wood dusts
Moira Chan-Yeung, Vivi Schlünssen, David Fishwick, Jean-Luc Malo

16. Metals
Rolf Merget, Vera van Kampen, Denyse Gautrin, Gareth I. Walters, Jean-Luc Malo

17. Cleaning agents
Jolanta M. Walusiak-Skorupa, Jonathan A. Bernstein, Frédéric de Blay, Orianne Dumas, Carole Ederle, Ilenia Folletti, Susan M. Tarlo

18. Various high- and low-molecular weight agents
Paul Cullinan, Ilenia Folleti, Xavier Munoz, Hille Suojalehto, Katri Suuronen, Marta Wiszniewska, Jean-Luc Malo, Olivier Vandenplas

Part V : Specific disease entities and variants

19. Irritant-induced asthma and reactive airways dysfunction syndrome
Jonathan A. Bernstein, Orianne Dumas, Frédéric de Blay, Carole Ederlé, Jean-Luc Malo

20. Asthma exacerbated at work
Paul K. Henneberger, Gregory R. Wagner, Ambrose K. Lau, Susan M. Tarlo, Catherine Lemière

21. Eosinophilic bronchitis
Santiago Quirce, Catherine Lemière, Jolanta Walusiak-Skorupa, Olivier Vandenplas, Joaquín Sastre

22. Occupational rhinitis
Andrea Siracusa, Dennis Shusterman, Olivier Vandenplas

23. Airway diseases due to organic dust exposure
Jill A. Poole, Santiago Quirce, Andrea Siracusa, Maria Cruz Carmona, Amber N. Johnson, Jean-Luc Malo, David I. Bernstein

24. Occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis and organic dust toxic syndrome
Anne-Pauline Bellanger, Jean-Charles Dalphin, Laurence Millon, Gabriel Reboux, Torben Sigsgaard, Jean-Luc Malo, David I. Bernstein

25. Chronic obstructive airway disease due to occupational exposure
Nicola Murgia, Kjell Torén, Paul D. Blanc (Editor: Susan M. Tarlo)

26. Building-related illnesses and mold-related conditions
Christopher Carlsten, Brett J. Green, Jean-Luc Malo, David I. Bernstein

27. Occupational urticaria and allergic contact dermatitis
D. Linn Holness, Victoria H. Arrandale, Karin Pacheco, Jean-Luc Malo, David I. Bernstein

Dr Jean-Luc Malo, MD and pneumologist, was professor of Medicine at the Faculté de médecine of Université de Montréal, serving for a term as vice-dean, research and postgraduate studies, and clinical researcher at Service de pneumologie of Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, Canada, from 1976 to 2016. He is specialist consultant in asthma in the workplace for the Québec Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST).

Dr David Bernstein, MD, is Professor Emeritus of Medicine in the Division of Immunology and Allergy at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine where he is co-director of the Allergy Fellowship training program.

Dr Susan M Tarlo is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto with an academic cross-appointment in the University of Toronto, Dalla Lana Department of Public Health.

Dr Olivier Vandenplas, MD, is Professor of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Catholique de Louvain and Head of the Chest Medicine Department at the University Hospital of Mont-Godinne, Belgium.