lung and airway disorders
Overview of Environmental and Occupational Lung Disease
Prevention
Prevention of environmental and occupational lung diseases centers on reducing or eliminating exposure to substances that can cause disease. In the order of most to least effective, exposure can be reduced or eliminated with these measures: Removing the hazard from the workplace Substituting with safer, less toxic materials Implementing engineering controls (that is, controlling the environment, for example, with enclosures, ventilation systems, safe clean-up procedures) Using administrative controls (for example, limiting the number of people exposed to hazardous conditions) Using personal protective equipment (for example, a respirator or dust mask) Although respirators reduce exposure, they are generally the least preferred type of preventive measure. They should be considered when more effective interventions are not feasible or do not sufficiently reduce the hazard. Respiratory protection typically is worn for high-risk specific tasks and not for an entire workday. When a respirator is required to protect a worker's health, the worker should be enrolled in the employer-mandated written respiratory protection program, which includes medical evaluation and annual respirator fit testing to ensure proper fit. Medical evaluation includes assessment of whether the person is able to wear the type of respirator that will be used in the workplace. Medical surveillance is another element of prevention. In medical surveillance, scheduled evaluations of a worker, such as with Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) or 