Obstructive airway diseases, i.?e., bronchial asthma and COPD, have a prevalence of about 5?% each in our population. 5 to 25?% of the cases are caused by the impact of hazardous substances in workplace atmospheres. Pathophysiologically and according to legal definitions on occupational diseases, allergic disorders (occupational disease no 4301) have to be differentiated from those of chemically irritative genesis (occupational disease no 4302 and predominantly also no 1315) and from afflictions in coal miners induced by inorganic dust (occupational disease no 4111). At present, hard coal mine dust is still the prevailing noxious agent followed by flour/baking additives, fumes occurring during welding, casting and cutting procedures, and isocyanates. In the majority of cases, the prognosis is not good and depends on the duration of exposure to the causative impact. This emphasises the urgency of early diagnosis and targetted individual prevention. The new international labelling of working materials hazardous to health (GHS; EU: CLP) also refers to inhalative noxae. It replaces the hitherto valid R und S notes by hazard statements (H) and precautionary statements (P) as well as by new hazard pictograms.
