Occupational lung disease

Work-related lung disease can be a factor of working in environments where you are inhaling or being exposed to certain dusts, gases, fumes and vapours. Although you may not feel the effects of this exposure for many years, you can develop diseases like asbestosis, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, emphysema, and lung cancer. Symptoms include:

shortness of breath (sometimes painful)
coughing (sometimes painful)
chest pain
coughing up phlegm
tiredness

Lung function tests

We have a number of tests that we use to look at lung function, and how your lungs are functioning in aspects of your breathing and exercise.

Occupational inhalation testing

Occupational inhalation testing allows us to carefully recreate what happens to you when you breathe in certain substances at work. By watching how your respiratory system responds during the test, we ...

Peak flow test

Peak flow is a simple measurement of how quickly you can blow air out of your lungs. It's often used to help diagnose and monitor asthma.

Skin prick testing

Skin prick testing is a universal allergy test and often used to find out what is causing an allergy.

Royal Brompton Hospital occupational lung disease clinic

Find out more about our occupational lung disease service at Royal Brompton Hospital.

Harefield Hospital occupational lung disease clinic

This clinic is held once a month on a Thursday morning.

This location is convenient for patients attending from outside London who wish to travel to clinic by car, as parking is available and it is easily accessible from the M25/M40 motorways. The postcode for the hospital is UB9 6JH.

Please report to the outpatients department when you arrive, where you will be asked to complete a registration form and will then be directed to the X-ray department for a chest X-ray. Once this is done, please return to the outpatients department where you may have basic lung function (spirometry) and skin prick (allergy) tests before seeing the doctor.

If you have any questions please contact clinical administrator Anju Mittu (020 7351 8341). If you telephone and she is not available, please leave a message and she will get back to you when she can.

Please let us know if you are not able to attend your appointment and if any additional tests, such as lung function, have also been arranged for you.