One in 10 people who develop asthma as an adult probably have their workplace to blame, a study has found. New statistics released by respiratory experts in Australia show hairdressers, spray painters and other people working with chemicals are at greater risk of developing asthma. A survey of 3,300 adults in the state of New South Wales (NSW) by the Woolcock Institute in Sydney found that 9.5 per cent of adult-onset asthmatics developed the condition after working in a 'high risk' job.

Woolcock's head of epidemiology Dr Guy Marks said these occupations were wide and varied, encompassing everything from automotive repair, electronics manufacturing and farm work, to bakeries, hairdressing and the pharmaceutical industry. He said medical specialists had long recognised work-related asthma as a problem, but the public was still largely unaware of the risks. 'And even if people do realise what's happening to them they are often forced by their economic situation to stay in the job,' Dr Marks said. 'It might be the only thing they can do and they need the income. So it was vital for employers to do all they can to control exposure to irritants 'as many of them already do.' The findings are published in the June issue of the journal Occupational Medicine.

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