Industry charts a safer future for asthma sufferers

摘要

A SIGNIFICANT step was taken recently at the TUC Conference in Brighton towards improving the workplace for those at risk of one of the most common respiratory conditions affecting 5.1 million people in Britain, 3.7 million of whom are adults, Terry McGeary writes. According to Asthma UK (formerly the National Asthma Campaign) which took the opportunity to launch a Workplace Charter, every year around 750 000 employees who are already prone to the condition have an asthma attack brought on by work activities. In addition, 3000 others develop occupational asthma due to exposure to substances at work. Asthma is classed as one of the COPDs (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorders) in which the fine bronchiole tubes carrying air in and out of the lungs become partially blocked or narrowed. During an asthmatic attack muscles in the bronchiole walls contract excessively, narrowing the passages and leaving the person short of breath and sometimes in a distressed condition.