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Occupational asthma in teachers
1Occupational Lung Disease Unit, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham B9 5SS, UK.
Occupational Medicine (Oxford, England)
|September 13, 2022
Summary
Occupational asthma in educators is often caused by building materials, cleaning agents, or classroom supplies. Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) monitoring with Oasys analysis effectively identifies these causes for successful intervention.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Medicine
- Pulmonology
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Work-related asthma symptoms are prevalent among teachers and teaching assistants.
- Limited research exists on the specific etiological factors contributing to occupational asthma in this demographic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the causes of occupational asthma in teachers and teaching assistants.
- Utilized serial Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) records from patients referred to the Birmingham Occupational Lung Disease clinic (2000-20).
Main Methods:
- Patients recorded PEF at home and work for 4 weeks.
- PEF data were analyzed using the Oasys program, evaluating three scoring systems (ABC, timepoint, discriminant analysis).
- Positive scores indicated inclusion, with repeat measurements used to confirm causes and assess remediation effectiveness.
Main Results:
- 38 teachers/teaching assistants met inclusion criteria.
- Identified causes included building-related factors (17 cases, e.g., acrylates, mould, dust), bystander exposure (12 cases, e.g., cleaning agents, photocopiers, chloramines), and classroom materials (9 cases, e.g., MDF).
- PEF records proved instrumental in pinpointing specific causative agents.
Conclusions:
- Oasys analysis of PEF records is a valuable tool for diagnosing occupational asthma in educators.
- This method successfully identified challenging causes of asthma, leading to effective remediation or redeployment.
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