Occupational asthma is asthma that's caused by breathing in chemical fumes, gases, dust or other substances on the job. Occupational asthma can result from exposure to a substance you're sensitive to — causing an allergic or immunological response or to an irritating toxic substance. Examples of occupational asthma also called work-related asthma – include: 1) Health care workers who develop an allergy to latex gloves by breathing in the powdered proteins from the inner lining of the gloves. 2) Workers in the chemical industry who are exposed to substances like ammonia and develop symptoms of asthma as the result of an irritant effects, not an allergic reaction. There are numerous substances used in various industries that can trigger occupational asthma including: 1) Chemicals such as adhesives, shellac and lacquer, plastics, epoxy resins, carpeting, foam and rubber, insulation, dyes (textile workers), and enzymes in detergents, 2) Proteins in animal hair and/or dander, 3) Grains, green coffee beans, and papain (an extract of papaya that may trigger a latex allergy, 4) Cotton, flax, and hemp dust, commonly found in the textile industry, 5) Metals such as platinum, chromium, nickel sulfate, and soldering fumes.
