Methacrylates and Asthma
Asthma is a common medical condition that causes narrowing of the small airways in the lungs which results in coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or rapid breathing, chest tightness and increased mucous (phlegm) production in the lungs and can in some cases be disabling, or even life-threatening. Asthma can be "Allergic" based (also called respiratory sensitization) and caused by airborne pollens, molds, animal dander, house dust mites etc. and "Non-Allergic" based and caused by a host of other factors including anxiety, stress, exercise, cold air, dry air, airborne particles (e.g., coal, chalk dust), air pollutant (e.g., tobacco smoke, wood smoke), strong odors or sprays (e.g., perfumes, household cleaners, cooking fumes, paints or varnishes), viral infection (e.g., colds, viral pneumonia, sinusitis, nasal polyps), etc. Some chemicals are recognized as causing allergic asthma, particularly in the workplace, examples include isocyanates, glutaraldehyde, wood dusts and soldering fumes. Exposure to irritant fumes and vapors (e.g. chlorine, cleaning agents or cigarette smoke) may make your existing asthma worse.
The term "asthmagen" is sometimes used to describe substances that cause the development of asthma-like symptoms in people. Several international agencies have looked at the available information and concluded that MMA does not cause the development of asthma. MMA can cause irritation of the skin, eyes and respiratory system and breathing high levels of MMA vapor, like many other irritant chemicals, may provoke an asthma attack in a person that suffers from asthma. For more information, see the following:
