Prevention

Treatment in occupational asthma is focused on preventing or minimizing asthma attacks. The main strategy for doing this is reducing or stopping exposure to the trigger.

• Work with your employer to "clean up" the workplace.
  
  
• You or your health care provider should be able to arrange for measurement of air quality in the workplace.
  
  
• Your employer should provide protective gear, such as masks or respirators, to avoid exposure to the trigger.
  
  
• Careless use or spills of respiratory irritants, inappropriate ventilation, and improper protective gear contribute to the occurrence of asthma in the workplace. These problems can be remedied.
  
  
• If these measures don't reduce your symptoms, talk to your employer about retraining for a different position that would not involve exposure to your trigger.