Occupational asthma and other nonasbestos occupational respiratory diseases notified between 1993 and 1996

To review notifications to the Occupational Safety and Health Service of the Department of Labour Notifiable Occupational Disease System since its inception until June 1996.

All notifications received for non asbestos related occupational respiratory disease were reviewed to evaluate the outcome of the notification and to identify the causative agent where possible.

There were 277 cases notified and investigated including worksite investigations. Of these 73 cases were confirmed as having occupational asthma, 35 by the asthma validation panel. Nineteen cases of other occupational respiratory disease were notified of which 11 were reviewed by the panel. Extrinsic allergic alveolitis secondary to organic dusts was the most common such notification.

Isocyanates are well recognised as a cause of occupational asthma in New Zealand. It is suspected that occupational asthma and other occupational respiratory diseases are poorly notified to this system. Better mechanisms are needed to identify occupational causes of respiratory (and other) disease.