Do your sneezing, cough, wheezing or breathlessness get worse on working days and better on Sundays or during holidays? You may have occupational allergy or occupational asthma, which means allergy or asthma caused or worsened by something you breathe in at work. In an industrial city like Surat, with its textile mills, diamond units, construction sites and chemical industries, this is more common than many people realise. In this video, Dr. Dipak Viradia, Chest Physician & Intensivist, explains how to recognise and prevent it.

What is occupational allergy? When a worker regularly breathes in dust, fibres, fumes or chemicals at the workplace, the airways can become sensitive to them. This can cause allergic rhinitis, occupational asthma, skin allergy, or other work-related lung problems. In some people, an existing asthma or allergy gets worse at work. This is called work-aggravated asthma.

Common workplace triggers:

• Textile industry: cotton and synthetic fibre dust, and reactive dyes and chemicals used in dyeing and printing
• Diamond polishing and metal work: fine dust from polishing wheels and metals
• Construction: cement, sand, stone and wood dust
• Chemical, pharmaceutical and plastic units: chemical fumes and powders
• Painting and spray work: paints containing isocyanates, solvents
• Bakeries and flour mills: flour dust
• Hospitals and laboratories: latex gloves, disinfectants and cleaning chemicals
• Beauty salons: hair dyes and bleaching chemicals

Warning signs:

• Sneezing, runny or blocked nose, itchy or watery eyes at work
• Cough, wheezing, chest tightness or breathlessness during or after shifts
• Symptoms that improve on weekly offs or holidays and return when you go back to work
• Night-time cough or breathlessness after a working day
• Colleagues with similar symptoms

Why early diagnosis matters. If exposure continues for a long time, occupational asthma can become permanent, and symptoms may continue even after leaving the job. Detecting it early and reducing exposure gives the best chance of recovery.

Diagnosis. Your doctor will ask detailed questions about your work, the materials you handle, and how symptoms change on working days and off days. Tests may include:

• Lung function test (spirometry)
• Peak flow monitoring at work and at home, to compare readings on working and non-working days
• Allergy tests for specific workplace substances, when available
• Chest X-ray or CT scan, if needed

Prevention and protection:

• Use a proper N95 mask or respirator designed for dust or fumes, not a cloth mask or handkerchief
• Ensure good ventilation and use exhaust systems at the workplace
• Use wet methods to reduce dust where possible
• Change clothes and wash hands and face after work, so dust isn’t carried home
• Don’t smoke, as it worsens the effect of workplace dust on the lungs
• Get regular lung check-ups if you work in a dusty or chemical environment
• Employers should provide protective equipment, ventilation and periodic health check-ups for workers

Treatment. Treatment includes reducing or avoiding exposure, along with medicines such as inhalers, nasal sprays and antihistamines. In some cases, a change of work area or job role may be advised to protect long-term lung health.

Dr. Dipak Viradia
Chest Physician & Intensivist | Interventional Pulmonologist & ECMO Specialist
Rudrax Chest Clinic, 301, Solaris Royce, Opp. Old RTO, Athwagate, Ring Road, Surat – 395001
Appointment: +91 75676 19985
Website: www.drdipakviradia.com