PHS FOI 2026-002325
- Date of request
- 15 January 2026
- Date of response
- 10 February 2026
- FOI request ID
- PHS FOI 2026-002325
- Conditions and diseases
- Performance and monitoring
Request
“I am writing to request recorded information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 about suspected work-related asthma linked to salmon processing in Scotland.
I appreciate that “salmon processing” may not exist as a discrete category in clinical systems. Where that is the case, please use the closest recorded proxy available, such as seafood or fish processing as an occupation or industry, and any relevant exposure notes if held.
Time period - Please cover calendar years 2015 to 2025 inclusive.
- Suspected or diagnosed work-related asthma in healthcare records
Please provide anonymised annual counts for Scotland of patients where:
a) occupational asthma or work-related asthma is recorded (or a closest equivalent code/flag), and
b) the occupation or industry recorded is fish processing, seafood processing, or salmon processing (or closest available).
If held, please provide breakdowns by NHS Board area. If Board level is not held, Health Board of residence or treatment location would be helpful.
- Exposure or agent recorded as fish or seafood protein
If held, please provide anonymised annual counts where the suspected agent or exposure is recorded as fish or seafood proteins, fish processing aerosols, or similar terms used in your systems, again with Scotland totals and, if available, by NHS Board.
- What is and is not recorded
To help interpret the figures, please confirm whether your systems include any standard fields for:
a) occupation or industry, and
b) suspected occupational trigger or causative agent,
in relation to asthma referrals or respiratory clinic episodes. If such fields exist, please list the available categories relevant to fish or seafood processing.
Disclosure and format -
Please provide the data in spreadsheet or CSV format. I am not seeking any personal data or anything that would identify individuals. If small numbers require suppression, please apply your usual disclosure control and provide the remaining totals.
If any part of this request is likely to exceed the cost limit, I would be grateful for advice on narrowing it while retaining a Scotland-wide picture and, ideally, Board level totals.”