ABSTRACT
Occupational respiratory diseases attributable to exposure to various agents encountered at the workplace include a large variety of conditions characterized by the development of airway obstruction (e.g., asthma) or a disease predominant in the pulmonary parenchyma, often inducing a "restrictive syndrome", with a reduction of lung volumes. A preexisting condition such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can also worsen following exposures at the workplace, or be a cofactor in the development of a disease. Generally, the causal relationship between a given disease and an occupational exposure is established according to various factors that could include the allergenic potential of substances involved, the temporal relationship and the duration of exposure, the dose–response effect, radiologic features, lung function tests, and various laboratory tests. The biologic reactivity of asbestosis is conditioned in part by the dimension of the fibers and their surface properties.
