This is due largely on the fact that most physicians have little or no medical training in occupational neurotoxicolgy or even the of knowledge of the disorder. Misdiagnosis's are common. For instance, asthma related to chemical exposure may be treated without regard to cause or may be erroneously diagnosed as acute tracheobronchitis. Shortness of breath from asbestosis may be attributed to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Chemical pneumonitis may be misdiagnosed as a bacterial infection.
Some chemicals are potent allergic sensitizers that cause dermal and respiratory problems.
Exposures to hazardous materials and processes in the home, the workplace, and the community can cause or exacerbate a multitude of diseases. At worst, the neglect of hazardous exposures may lead to both failure of treatment and failure to recognize a public health problem with wide significance. No existing surveillance or reporting system can estimate the total contribution of hazardous exposures to morbidity and mortality. However, careful histories have identified occupational factors as etiologic in more than 10 percent of all admissions to general internal medicine wards in hospitals, with even higher percentages when the primary illness is either respiratory or musculoskeletal. Physicians are consulted because they are the most trusted sources of information on health risks, including chemical risks.