Understanding Occupational Lung Disease
What is 'occupational lung disease'?
Occupational lung disease is the field of pulmonology that deals in the broadest sense with diseases that affect the lung that are caused by workplace exposures.
What are the main types of occupational lung disease?
The main types of occupational lung disease include occupational asthma, as well as what are called the pneumoconiosis. Pneumoconiosis is a Latin term which is derived from “pneumo”, which means breathe and “conis” which means dust. It literally means the diseases that are caused by inhaling dust with your breath. Those are two of the most common occupational lung diseases. Other occupational lung diseases include such things as asbestos exposure and other mineral exposures and products that one might inhale which might cause an immune or inflammatory reaction in the lung.
What should I do if I think something in the air at work is making me sick?
The most important thing to do is to consult with your physician. There are many things that could make one sick, and not all of those are necessarily related to the workplace. Along with that, I would definitely recommend that you consult with the materials supervisor at your workplace. Every workplace is required by law to have what's called a Materials Safety Data Sheet, which essentially lists all of the toxic compounds that are present in the work environment, and if you have a copy of those, and if you consult with your physician, that should go a long way towards evaluating concerns about a workplace exposure.
How can I protect myself from occupational lung disease?
How one can protect themselves from occupational lung disease certainly depends on the type of exposures that the specific worker is involved in, the specific types of potential toxins in his and her environment. They can range from anything from gas, chemical exposures that one might breathe to something that might be on the skin. In the broadest sense, it's important to consult with the materials supervisor at the workplace, to be aware as to what the toxic compounds are in the workplace, and to wear the appropriate protective environment. Such things as maximizing proper ventilation, using respirators, using protective gowns or other gear as needed, obviously can be important. But prevention is certainly going to be the most important aspect of preventing lung disease.
What is 'pulmonary fibrosis'?
Pulmonary fibrosis is a disease caused by a number of other conditions, so pulmonary fibrosis can almost be thought of as a symptom or a sign of disease rather than the disease itself. Pulmonary fibrosis is the end stage of a multitude of conditions that affect the lungs and it can basically be thought of as a scar or scarring or the lungs.
