Approximately, 15% of adult-onset asthma could be attributed to occupational exposures. Occupational exposures might also cause worsening or acute exacerbations of pre-existing asthma, including childhood onset asthma. Work-exacerbated asthma can be seen in 20-25% of adults with asthma. Many substances are identified to cause asthma at the workplace.

Individuals with a history of allergic diseases in childhood have increased risk of work-related asthma in adulthood.

A study was conducted to determine whether history of asthma/allergies in childhood was linked with avoidance of jobs with exposure to asthmagens in early adulthood. The Melbourne Atopic Cohort Study enlisted 620 children at high risk of allergic diseases at birth. During childhood, asthma, hay fever and eczema were assessed by questionnaires. A follow-up in early adulthood, i.e., 18 years, was collected regarding information on the current job. Occupational exposure to asthmagens/irritants was also assessed using a job-exposure matrix. The relationship between history of asthma/allergies in childhood and working in a job with certain exposure to asthmagens/irritants was assessed by logistic regression. Nearly, 363 participants were followed-up till early adulthood and 17% of them worked in a job with exposure to asthmagens/irritants. History of asthma (35%) was not related to working in an exposed job. Participants with a history of hay fever (37%) and eczema (40%) were more likely to take exposed jobs.

The study concluded that young adults with a history of allergies were more likely to get into exposed jobs, indicating no avoidance of possible hazardous exposures. Avoiding jobs with hazardous occupational exposures might be beneficial in individuals with pre-existing asthma or allergies at the individual level.

Source: Dumas O, Le Moual N, Lowe AJ, et al. Influence of Childhood Asthma and Allergies on Occupational Exposure in Early Adulthood: A Prospective Cohort Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(12):2163. Published 2019 Jun 19. doi:10.3390/ijerph16122163