EHS Experts in Puerto Rico Help to Prevent Occupational Asthma

According to recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), close to 150,000 adults in Puerto Rico have asthma.  For adults with asthma, some developed the condition as a child, while others did not develop asthma until they were older. 
 
For some, the condition may have been caused or made worse by exposure to allergens or irritants on the job.  Occupational asthma, also referred to as work-related asthma, is the most common occupational lung disease in the United States.  According to OSHA, “An estimated 11 million workers in a wide range of industries and occupations are exposed to at least one of the numerous agents known to be associated with occupational asthma. Occupational factors are associated with up to 15 percent of disabling asthma cases in the United States.”
 
The condition can cause wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and coughing. Symptoms may emerge hours after exposure to harmful substances or even months or years later.  According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), more than 250 substances are known or believed to cause or exacerbate work-related asthma. These substances include many chemicals used in manufacturing; paints; cleaning products; dusts from wood, grain, and flour; latex gloves; certain molds; animals; and insects. In some cases, cigarette smoking may increase the risk of developing occupational asthma.
 
“At Zimmetry Environmental, we have air quality experts who can identify and monitor worksites for known and suspected substances that cause or trigger asthma,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental.  “These services can help to prevent the disease by identifying allergens and irritants so that exposure can be reduced, eliminated or avoided.”
 
Zimmetry also recently sponsored an educational video about occupational asthma that can be seen at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWPLw-0OjKU
 
To learn more about Zimmetry’s air, environmental and compliance testing and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com .
 
About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals and Fortune 500 companies.  The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America.  The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs and general environmental consulting services.

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Paul Cochrane

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Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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