Occupational diseases of the airways, lungs and pleura notified according to chapter III of the List of occupational diseases accounted in 1996 to 2001 (2438 new cases) for 20% of all occupational diseases. The trend of occupational respiratory diseases was throughout the six-year interval declining and dropped from 538 occupational diseases notified in 1996 to 309 in 2001. The diseases affected working people aged 18 to 90 years, mean 52± 14 years. Among the patients men predominated (81%). According to classification by economic branch 45% of all diseases developed in coal mining and 10% in uranium mining. In the Czech Republic pneumoconiosis caused by dust containing free silica predominated (61%) over occupational asthma and allergic diseases of the upper airways (22%), lung cancer caused by radioactive substances (10%) and bronchopleuropulmonary diseases caused by asbestos which accounted for 5% of the spectrum of occupational respiratory diseases.

        Key words: working environment, occupational diseases, pneumoconiosis, occupational asthma, occupational cancer, disease caused by asbestos