Work-related asthma in the spray-on truck bed lining industry.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify work-related asthma (WRA) workers' compensation claims associated with methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) exposure in the spray-on truck bed lining industry and estimate the asthma incidence rate in this industry. The authors conducted a descriptive study of workers' compensation claims meeting an established surveillance case definition for WRA. Eight WRA workers' compensation claims were identified in the truck bed lining industry in Washington State for a claims incidence rate of 200 per 10,000 full-time equivalent. The medical evaluation of the cases was inadequate because none of the truck bed lining cases had medical testing to objectively link their asthma to the workplace. The rate of work-related asthma in the truck bed lining industry is excessive and suggests a need for significant intervention, including improvements in the clinical assessment provided to MDI-exposed workers.