ABSTRACT
Occupational respiratory diseases are in principle preventable. Prevention can be dened as actions that converge on changeable factors to improve the health of individuals and communities, and are aimed at eradicating, eliminating or minimizing the impact of disease or disability. Primary, secondary and tertiary preventions are distinguished: primary prevention aims to reduce the incidence of disease (public health); secondary prevention aims to reduce the prevalence of disease by shortening its duration and progression (preventative medicine); tertiary prevention aims to reduce the numbers and/ or impacts of complications of disease (rehabilitation). Some also distinguish ‘primordial’ prevention as actions that inhibit the emergence and establishment of environmental, economic, social and behavioural conditions, cultural patterns of living, etc., known to increase the risk of disease (health promotion).
