Abstract
BackgroundThe opencast coal mine is a specific mine differing from the underground mine. There are differences in the way into the ore body, the organization of production, transport technology and other aspects. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of CWP among ex-dust miners in opencast coal mines and estimate the incidence trend of CWP by APC model in the future.MethodsAll opencast miners who had been exposed to dust for at least 1 year in opencast mines were enrolled in this study. The database included demographic details, occupational history records with the date of dust exposure, physical examination records and pneumoconiosis diagnosis records. An age-period-cohort (APC) model has been carried out in order to explore the effects of the age, period and cohort on the prevalence of CWP among ex-dust opencast miners.Results8191 opencast miners were enrolled in the study, including 259 miners with CWP and 7932 miners without CWP. The incidence density of CWP would have an increasing trend in opencast mines from 2005 to 2024. The number of possible CWP patients predicted in this period was approximately 492. Of them, 275 miners could have suffered from CWP in 2005–2014 and 217 miners would suffer from CWP in 2015–2024 among the ex-dust opencast miners.ConclusionsThe APC model had a goodness of fit in predicting the incidence trend of CWP in opencast coal mines. By this model, we predicted that 492 opencast miners could be diagnosed as CWP from 2005 to 2024. Therefore ex-dust opencast miners cannot be ignored and they should have regular physical examinations and detection for CWP.
Highlights
The opencast coal mine is a specific mine differing from the underground mine
The average dust concentrations in the opencast coal mines usually were lower than the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) in all job categories, most of dust
Physical examination records and chest X-rays or diagnosis of Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) were obtained from the Department of Industry Hygiene and Occupational Disease
Summary
The opencast coal mine is a specific mine differing from the underground mine. There are differences in the way into the ore body, the organization of production, transport technology and other aspects. The opencast coal mine is a specific coal mine which is different from the underground mine. The way into the ore body, the organization of production, transport technology and other aspects in opencast mining are all different from those in underground mining [4]. The dust exposure environment is different between opencast coal mines and underground coal mines [5]. The average dust concentrations in the opencast coal mines usually were lower than the MSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) in all job categories, most of dust
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