Primary care role in preventing occupational and environmental respiratory disease

Occupational and environmental respiratory disease is relatively common and is usually of great significance for the individual and the broader community. With proper evaluation of both the individual and the exposure site, a specific diagnosis can be established or ruled out during the early stages. Primary care physicians are vital for the early diagnosis of occupational and environmental respiratory disease in individual patients and in populations. Furthermore, primary care practitioners may have a significant role in formal group-based medical surveillance programs for respiratory disease. In addition to diagnosing and treating such disorders, there is a major role for rational and effective counseling of individuals and communities about possible effects of agents ranging from air pollution to zeroconium. In such instances, objective data communicated in language that is easily understood can be invaluable.