17: Blackwood as a cause of occupational asthma in Tasmania

A controlled cross-sectional study of Blackwood as a cause of occupational asthma in Tasmania ($20,000)

A research Grant was awarded to two of Tasmania’s leading chest physicians, Dr James Markos and Dr Richard Wood-Baker, to study the effects of occupational exposure to wood dust in the Tasmanian timber industry.

The study involved workers throughout the State to determine the frequency of Asthma and its relationship to wood dust exposure. Despite numerous anecdotal reports of wood dust causing occupational Asthma over the years (particularly from Blackwood), this had never been studied in detail in Tasmania. The study involved up to 800 industry workers who were asked to: complete a questionnaire on dust exposure and chest problems; have skin tests to look for allergies; and give a small blood sample to test for Asthma.

Although the study had a state-wide focus, much of the timber industry activity is located in the North and the North West of the State, so the numbers of study participants were greater in these regions.