What are the examples of the largest class of occupational disease?

Occupational disease is any disease closely identified with a specific job. The generally acknowledged founder of occupational medicine is the Italian physician Beranrdio Ramazzini (1633-1714). He described 54 occupational diseases associated with miners, masons, painters, black-smiths, and others. New technologies brought new bazards. For example, in the 1830s “phossy jaw” was identified among workers using toxic yellow phosphorus in match factories. In 1916-23 in the USA, many employees of a New Jersey factory were killed by disease contracted through painting the dials of watches with luminous paint. The largest class of occupational disease is lung complaints such as silicosis and asbestosis, caused by inhalation of tiny dust particles of various kinds such as silica and asbestos. Today, many countries have strict legislation requiring employers to protect workers from known hazards.