If you are told by a doctor or suspect that you have asthma caused by work, you should apply for industrial injuries disablement benefit, using the blue form B1 100 B, "Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit for a prescribed industrial disease." You can get this from any Benefits Agency office.

The Benefits Agency publishes brochures about occupational asthma and industrial diseases generally.

Benefits Agency enquiry line 0800 882200

Industrial injuries disablement benefit is not withheld because you may have too much income or savings. It is not a means-tested benefit. Doctors from the Medical Boarding Centre, who work for the Government, must examine you. They will also probably review your medical notes. If you are very ill, these doctors may examine you at home.

You have to show the Benefits Agency that you have worked with one or more of the substances that they accept do cause occupational asthma. Your employers may not admit this, and you may need to supply names of people you work or worked with to confirm what you say.

The Benefits Agency will pay industrial injuries disablement benefit for occupational asthma caused by 22 specified groups of substance, and a final group, z, which brings in "any other sensitizing agent inhaled at work." The Benefits Agency has therefore acknowledged that there are many causes of asthma at work, because it is not realistic to list them all.

The Benefits Agency lists these substances: -

• Isocyanates
• Platinum salts
• Acid anhydride and amine hardening agents
• Fumes arising from the use of rosin as a soldering flux
• Proteolytic enzymes
• Animals including insects and other arthropods of their larval forms used for the purposes of research, education, in laboratories, pest control, or fruit cultivation
• Dusts arising from barley, oats, rye, wheat or maize, or meal or flour made from such grain
• Antibiotics
• Cimetidine
• Wood dusts
• Ispaghula
• Castor bean dust
• Ipecacuanha
• Azodicarbonamide
• Glutaraldehyde
• Persulphate salts or henna arising from their use in the hairdressing trade
• Crustaceans or fish or products arising from these in the food processing industry
• Reactive dyes
• Soya bean
• Tea dust
• Green coffee bean dust
• Fumes from stainless steel welding
• Any other sensitizing agent inhaled at work.

It is likely to take the Benefits Agency several months to decide whether you are entitled to this benefit, which is paid as a weekly pension, so the earlier you begin the process, the better for you.

See the section about The State Benefits System in our Asbestos Compensation Guide