Occupational Asthma

Sometimes, your workplace can cause asthma. About 2 percent of all cases of asthma are related to the job. What are the clues? Symptoms usually appear within a few months to about four years after your first exposure. Your coworkers might have similar symptoms, such as wheezing, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing. You should suspect occupational asthma if you notice that asthma symptoms go away when you're away from work for several days, such as for a vacation or at the end of a weekend.

You might miss this cause-and-effect relationship if your symptoms appear only after you've been at work for several hours. Asthma symptoms may occur within your first hour at work, or as much as eight hours later, or even at night.