title: Primary prevention of occupational asthma: identifying and controlling exposures to asthma-causing agents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary prevention of occupational asthma requires timely identification and regulation of asthma-causing agents.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined 39 substances identified as causing allergic occupational asthma in the US to determine the basis for their identification and their regulatory status. We compared them with occupational asthmagens identified and regulated in the UK and Germany.
  
  
  RESULTS
  US regulatory agencies have not established consistent, evidence-based methods to identify and control exposures to substances that cause occupational asthma. Occupational asthmagens are identified primarily by non-regulatory US organizations, and most are not regulated to prevent asthma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Implementing an evidence-based identification and regulatory process for occupational asthmagens will help to ensure primary prevention of occupational asthma in the US. This should include: establishing consistent identification criteria; publishing a list of occupational asthmagens; collecting use, exposure, and health effects information on asthma-causing substances; requiring medical surveillance and medical removal protection in addition to exposure limits; and stimulating development of safer alternatives.
authors.affiliation: California Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Branch, Richmond, California 94804, USA. juliaquint@sbcglobal.net
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quint
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Beckett
authors.forename: Sharan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Campleman
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sutton
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prudhomme
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Flattery
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cowan
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kreutzer
mesh_terms: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis / Q000145:classification*; D000485:Allergens / Q000032:analysis / Q000145:classification*; D001249:Asthma / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011322:Primary Prevention; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D000485:Allergens