title: Occupational obstructive airway diseases in Germany.
abstract: In industrialized countries, occupational asthma caused by allergens and irritants due to workplace exposure is increasing. More than 8,000 such claims were made in Germany (10.5% of all decided occupational disease claims) in 1995; 1,900 were confirmed (6.5% of all confirmed claims). The legal basis and the occupational disease-related regulations of trade-assigned statutory accident insurance institutions ('Berufsgenossenschaften') in Germany are described. Hitherto, three occupational disease categories for obstructive airway disorders existed: due to sensitizing agents, due to chemical-irritative or toxic agents, and due to isocyanates. Approximately 40% of accepted claims for occupational asthma and rhinitis result from exposure to flour. Ongoing changes in the recognition of work-related airway disease symptoms account for differences in the incidence and prevalence as reported over the years. Recently, chronic obstructive bronchitis and/or emphysema of hard coal miners have been included in the German list of occupational diseases.
authors.affiliation: Berufsgenossenschaftliches Forschungsinstitut für Arbeitsmedizin, Ruhruniversität Bochum, Germany. bgfa@bgfa.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Baur
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Degens
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Weber
mesh_terms: D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D018868:Insurance, Disability; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology