Diseases, occupational biological agents

Haz-Map is an occupational health database designed for health and safety professionals and for consumers seeking information about the health effects of exposure to chemicals at work. Haz-Map links jobs and hazardous tasks with occupational diseases and their symptoms. Chemicals and biological agents in Haz-Map are linked to industrial processes and other activities such as hobbies. Occupational diseases and their symptoms are associated with hazardous job tasks and possible exposure to hazardous agents. Information from textbooks, journal articles, and electronic databases such as HSDB (described above) is classified and summarized to create this database. 

Respiratory conditions are illnesses associated with breathing hazardous biological agents, chemicals, dust, gases, vapors, or fumes at work. Examples are silicosis, asbestosis, pneumonitis, pharyngitis, rhinitis or acute congestion farmer s lung, beryllium disease, tuberculosis, occupational asthma, reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypersensitivity pneumonitis, toxic inhalation injury, such as metal fume fever, chronic obstructive bronchitis, and other pneumoconioses. 

A distinction is usually made between primary prevention, i.e. inhibition of the induction and onset of a disease, and secondary prevention, i.e. inhibition of relapses. Tertiary prevention aims at inhibition of worsening ( quality of life ). The value of disease prevention is evident to individuals, the community and the medical profession. For human, social, and economic reasons, it would be of great benefit if people exposed to harmful chemicals and products, physical factors, and biological agents could be protected from developing occupational skin diseases. 

Diseases and conditions of the lung are important when considering occupational health. The lung can be affected by fumes, smokes, mists, dusts, fibres, gases and biological agents such as spores (for example, from fungi) and enzymes (for example, from raw cotton). 

In 2004 (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 53), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined that the risks of occupational exposure to biological terrorism agents outweighed the advantages of embalming fatalities and recommended that the body should be buried without embalming. 

---