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NIOSH Programs > Respiratory Diseases Respiratory DiseasesWork related respiratory diseases and disorders include a wide range of adverse medical outcomes arising from inhalation of airborne exposures at the workplace. These outcomes can range in severity from mild, chronic disorders to those that are immediately fatal. Too frequently they involve outcomes that result in disability or premature death. Adverse Respiratory OutcomesAdverse health outcomes include diseases of the nose and sinuses, such as allergic rhinitis; diseases of the conducting airways, such as asthma , chronic bronchitis , byssinosis, bronchiolitis and bronchiolitis obliterans , diseases of the pulmonary parenchyma, such as coal worker's pneumoconiosis , silicosis , asbestosis , hypersensitivity pneumonitis , and other fibrosing processes (e.g., berylliosis ); occupationally-transmitted respiratory infections such as tuberculosis ; and other processes that affect the respiratory system. Occupational ExposuresOccupational exposures can be encountered in various settings, ranging from acute overexposures to long-term low-level inhalation. They include a broad range of organic and inorganic aerosols, mineral dusts, metal dusts, fibers , bioaerosols, fungal aerosols, infectious agents, vapors, fumes , and gases. Mission StatementThe Vision of the Respiratory Diseases Research Program is to deliver the Nation's Promise: Respiratory Health and Safety at work for all people through research and prevention. The Mission is to provide National and International leadership for the prevention of work-related respiratory diseases. The Respiratory Diseases Research Program uses a scientific approach to gather and synthesize information, create knowledge, provide recommendations and deliver products and services to those who can effect prevention. Strategic Plan
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NIOSH Program Portfolio: Respiratory Diseases |
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