Pneumoconiosis In Coal Miners Research Articles

Dose-response relationship between different respirable coal dust exposures and pneumoconiosis risk

Objective: To investigate the dose-response relationship between the cumulative dust exposures to anthracite, bituminous coal, and lignite and the cumulative prevalence rates of pneumoconiosis due to the exposures, respectively and provide a basis for scientific development of occupational health standards. Methods: Investigation on the exposure to coal dust and pneumoconiosis prevalence was conducted in 9 state-owned coal mines. The cumulative anthracite, bituminous coal, and lignite dust exposure specific cumulative prevalence rates of pneumoconiosis were calculated by life table method, respectively. The linear regression equations were used to control the unilateral interval to obtain the exposure concentration limits of the respirable coal dust, respectively. Results: A total of 21 000 coal miners in the 9 coal mines were included in the study. The detection rates of pneumoconiosis in coal miners in anthracite, bituminous coal and lignite mines were 11.27%, 21.32%, and 6.00%. The average lengths of exposure to coal dust at pneumoconiosis onset were 20.12 years, 22.88 years, and 25.21 years, respectively and the dose-response relationships between the cumulative respirable coal dust exposure and the cumulative prevalence rates were all linear regression equations, which are y=5.788x-16.043 (R(2)=0.949), y=5.679x-16.837 (R(2)=0.904), and y=6.465x-19.573 (R(2)=0.944), respectively. Supposing that the safety coefficient is 1.2, when the cumulative prevalence rate of pneumoconiosis after 30 years of exposure to dust is not higher than 1%, the exposure concentration limits of the three types of respirable coal dust are 1.7, 2.3, and 3.9 mg/m(3), respectively. Conclusions: The results of this study shows that the detection rate of pneumoconiosis, the average length of exposure to coal dust at pneumoconiosis onset, and the exposure concentration limits of the respirable coal dust varied with coal types. In the case of the same cumulative level of coal dust exposure, the lower the coal volatiles is (i.e. the higher the carbon content is), the higher the cumulative prevalence rate of pneumoconiosis is (anthracite>bituminous coal>lignite). It is suggested to develop national occupational health standards of coal dust exposure according to the grades of coal.

Management of patients with coal miner pneumoconiosis in the large capacity lung lavage perioperative nursing stage

目的 总结煤工尘肺患者大容量肺灌洗术前、术中、术后的护理经验。 方法 对30例煤工尘肺患者大容量肺灌洗围手术期进行护理，协助完善相关检查，术前、术中、术后进行心理护理，取得患者的信任与配合。准确记录出入量及麻醉用药量，预防并发症的发生。提出明确的护理诊断，给出有效的护理措施；指导其进行呼吸功能锻炼。 结果 30例患者康复出院，术后发热25例，术后咽部充血疼痛，术后尿道刺激征3例，灌洗后1周临床症状减轻，2周后肺功能有明显改善。 结论 术前心理护理，术中规范操作、详细记录，术后密切监护是降低大容量肺灌洗术并发症的关键。大容量肺灌洗是治疗尘肺的有效方法，细致周密的护理可提高手术质量和临床效果。

Platelet Indices in Patients with Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis.

Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) is caused by an accumulation of coal particles in the lung parenchyma. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in the pathogenesis of CWP. It is well documented that ROS stimulate platelet activation, adhesion, and aggregation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between platelet indices and CWP. The demographic features, occupational and medical history, exposure time, and complete blood count of retired coal miners were retrospectively analysed. The control group comprised healthy subjects who had not worked underground. Chest radiographs were evaluated according to the CWP classification of the International Labour Office. The study population was divided into following groups: 50 controls, 97 without CWP, 142 simple pneumoconiosis (SP), 157 progressive massive fibrosis (PMF). The platelet count, mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and plateletcrit (PCT) were significantly higher in patients with CWP compared to those in patients without CWP and controls. The platelet count, MPV, and PCT were higher in patients with PMF compared to those in the SP group (p<0.05). The results of multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that the platelet count, MPV, and PCT were independently associated with the development of CWP. Platelet indices may be considered as disease markers for pneumoconiosis in coal miners and as a useful indicator of the progression of pneumoconiosis.

Underground Coal Mining: Relationship between Coal Dust Levels and Pneumoconiosis, in Two Regions of Colombia, 2014.

In Colombia, coal miner pneumoconiosis is considered a public health problem due to its irreversibility, high cost on diagnosis, and lack of data related to its prevalence in the country. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was carried out in order to determine the prevalence of pneumoconiosis in underground coal mining workers in two regions of Colombia. The results showed a 35.9% prevalence of pneumoconiosis in the study group (42.3% in region 1 and 29.9% in region 2). An association was found between a radiologic diagnosis of pneumoconiosis and a medium risk level of exposure to carbon dust (OR: 2.901, 95% CI: 0.937, 8.982), medium size companies (OR: 2.301, 95% CI: 1.260–4.201), length of mining work greater than 25 years (OR: 3.222, 95% CI: 1.806–5.748), and a history of smoking for more than one year (OR: 1.479, 95% CI: 0.938–2.334). These results establish the need to generate an intervention strategy aimed at preventing the identified factors, as well as a timely identification and effective treatment of pneumoconiosis in coal miners, in which the commitment of the General Health and Social Security System and the workers compensation system is ensured.

Work-related mortality in England and Wales, 1979–2000

BackgroundTo explore time trends in deaths attributable to work in England and Wales, and identify priorities for prevention, we conducted a proportional analysis of mortality by occupation over a 22-year...

Bronchial and alveolar changes and pulmonary functions in coal miner's pneumoconiosis

Bronchial and alveolar changes and pulmonary functions in coal miner's pneumoconiosis

Progression of Pneumoconiosis in Coal Miners after Cessation of Dust Exposure: A Longitudinal Study Based on Periodic Chest X-ray Examinations in Hokkaido, Japan

The progression rate of pneumoconiosis in retired coal miners over ten years has not been studied in Japan. A retrospective longitudinal study was undertaken using chest X-rays of 1091 pneumoconiosis subjects in Hokkaido, Japan between 1985 and 2005. The final numbers of subjects were 207 (19% of the entry) after 1 decade and 85 (8%) after 2 decades. Sixty-two percent of 207 subjects after 1 decade and 29% of 85 showed progression in 2 decades. Thirty-one percent of ILO category 1 and 55% of category 2 subjects showed progression to complicated pneumoconiosis after 1 decade, and 6% (4 of 64) of category 1 and 6% (5 of 77) of category 2 subjects progressed to complicated pneumoconiosis during 2 decades. The progression of pneumoconiosis was observed after the cessation of dust exposure, especially during the first 10 years.

Occupational Diseases in Korea

Korea has industrialized since the 1970s. Pneumoconiosis in coal miners was the most common occupational disease in the 1970s to 1980s. With the industrialization, the use of many chemicals have increased since the 1970s. As a consequence, there were outbreaks of occupational diseases caused by poisonous chemicals, such as heavy metal poisoning, solvent poisoning and occupational asthma in the late 1980s and early 1990s with civil movement for democracy. Many actions have been taken for prevention by the government, employers and employees or unions. In the 1990s most chemical related diseases and pneumoconiosis have rapidly decreased due to improving work environment. In the late 1990s, cerebro-cardiovascular diseases related to job stress or work overloads have abruptly increased especially after the economic crisis in 1998. After the year 2000, musculoskeletal disorders became a major problem especially in assembly lines in the manufacturing industry and they were expanded to the service industry. Mental diseases related to job stress have increased. Infectious diseases increased in health care workers and afforestation workers. Occupational cancers are increasing because of their long latency, although the use of carcinogenic substances are reduced, limited, and even banned.

Insulin-Like Growth Factor-II Is Increased in Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Pulmonary Fibrosis and Contributes to the Fibrotic Process via Jun N-Terminal Kinase- and Phosphatidylinositol-3 Kinase-Dependent Pathways

Systemic sclerosis (SSc)-related pulmonary fibrosis, for which there are few effective therapies, is the most common cause of SSc-related mortality. We examined insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-II expression in explanted lung tissues from control and SSc patients to determine its role in the pathogenesis of fibrosis. IGF-II levels in vivo were detected using immunohistochemistry. Primary lung fibroblasts were cultured from lung tissues, and IGF-II mRNA was measured using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Western blot analysis measured extracellular matrix (ECM) production and phosphorylated signaling molecules. Immunostaining revealed increased IGF-II expression in fibroblastic foci of SSc lungs. Furthermore, primary SSc lung fibroblasts had a fourfold increase in IGF-II mRNA and a twofold increase in IGF-II protein compared with normal lung fibroblasts. IGF-II mRNA in SSc lung fibroblasts was expressed primarily from the P3 promoter of the IGF-II gene, and IGF-II induced both a dose- and time-dependent increase in collagen type I and fibronectin production. IGF-II triggered the activation of both phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase and Jun N-terminal kinase signaling cascades, the inhibition of which diminished IGF-II-induced ECM production. Our study demonstrates increased local IGF-II expression in SSc-associated pulmonary fibrosis both in vitro and in vivo as well as IGF-II-induced ECM production through both phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase- and Jun N-terminal kinase-dependent pathways. Our results provide novel insights into the role of IGF-II in the pathogenesis of SSc-associated pulmonary fibrosis.

Effects on the lung due to underground coal mining work

The long-term exposure to dust in the hard coal mining industry can lead to various pathological lung changes, especially to chronic bronchitis without and with obstructive ventilation disorder, lung emphysema, pneumoconiosis (coal miner's pneumoconiosis, in Germany categorized as silicosis) and silicotuberculosis. These health disorders show a close pathogenetic and pathophysiological association and should not necessarily be regarded as individual entities. Most exposed subjects demonstrate more or less all of these pathological disorders. On account of individual (genetic?) susceptibility, their degree differs greatly. Some individuals are largely resistent, other subjects show severe effects like emphysema, progressive massive pneumoconiosis, or the Caplan syndrome. Several studies showed that the pathologically verified degree of lung fibrosis is associated with lung crystalline SiO(2) content whereas the emphysema score is inversely correlated with the coal content. With regard to diagnostics and medical expert opinion, it is important that conventional radiology has a low sensitivity. Further, health impairments of miners engaged for longtime which are insurance relevant (MdE) exist in cases without (BK 4111 if beginning after 12/31/1992) or with coalworkers' pneumoconiosis even for categories < 2/3.

Analysis of Carcinoembriyonic antigen, neurone specific enolase, cytokeratin 21-1 and ferritin levels in coal miners

Coal miners have an increased risk of pneumoconiosis. Tumor markers that are used in screening, diagnosis and follow-up of lung cancers are also useful to distinguish malignant and benign lung disorders. Carcinoembriyonic antigen, neurone specific enolase, cytokeratin 21-1 and ferritin were studied to compare and examine the possible contribution of CEA, NSE and CYFRA in the diagnosis of early and low-grade pneumoconiosis in coal miners with (34 cases) or without pneumoconiosis (27 cases). There were statistically significant differences between groups concerning NSE and ferritin levels (p<0.001, p<0.001 respectively). No difference was obtained for CYFRA 21-1 and CEA (p<0.05). The relationship of NSE with age and smoking was investigated, but no correlation was found (r=0.224, p=0.204; r=0.291, p=0.095 respecitvely). However, there was a positive correlation between NSE and exposure duration (r=0.425, p=0.012). Similarly, there was no relationship between ferritin levels and age or smoking (r=0.230, p=0.191; r=0.248, p=0.158 respectively), but there was a positive correlation with exposure duration (r=0.390, p=0.023). In conclusion, NSE and ferritin were found to be higher in coal miners with pneumoconiosis. According to these results, tumor markers are neither sensitive nor specific enough for the determination of early and low grade pneumoconiosis. One of the interesting and important findings of this study is that NSE values were higher than 12.5 µg/mL in most of the pneumoconiosis cases (%73.5). So, the NSE cut-off value used in cancer screening of coal workers with pneumoconiosis should increased.

Quartz in coal-mines—time for concern: Seaton, A., Dick, J. A., Dodgson, J. & Jacobsen, M. (1981). Quartz and pneumoconiosis in coalminers. LancetII, 1272

Quartz in coal-mines—time for concern: Seaton, A., Dick, J. A., Dodgson, J. & Jacobsen, M. (1981). Quartz and pneumoconiosis in coalminers. LancetII, 1272

Serum immunoglobulins, rheumatoid factor, and pneumoconiosis in coal miners with rheumatoid arthritis.

The occurrence and severity of pneumoconiosis were studied in 100 coal miners with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and compared to findings in a geographically relevant survey of coal workers' pneumoconiosis. Contrary to European reports, miners with RA were not found to have an excessive frequency or severity of pneumoconiosis. In 55 of these men, serum immunoglobulin levels and rheumatoid factor were compared with data from matched RA patients with no history of silica exposure. The immunochemical results were unrelated to the stage of pneumoconiosis, nor did they differ from those in the control group.

Isolation of metal-binding agents from coal dust and their effects on mitochondrial function.

Abstract Bituminous coal samples from mines in Utah and Pennsylvania were extracted with a series of organic solvents, used in order of increasing polarity. The extracted materials, amounting to 58–70 mg/g of Utah coal and 12–15 mg/g of Pennsylvania coal, were each fractionated on a carboxymethyl cellulose column in the Cu (II) form. The copper-complexing fractions for Utah and Pennsylvania were 30% and 22%, respectively, of the total extract. Copper-binding capacity was 400 ug copper/g Utah coal and 40 ug/g for Pennsylvania. The copper-binding ligands from both coals uncoupled oxidative phosphorylation of isolated rat liver mitochondria, a system containing copper and iron metalloenzymes. The inhibitory activity per gram of extracted material was higher for Pennsylvania than Utah. These results suggest that the extraction and absorption of metal-binding agents from coal may adversely alter vital cellular energetics. Coal dust and its effects on human health is of concern because of the prevalence of respiratory disorders incurred by coal mine workers. In epidemiological studies it has been found that 10% of working miners showed definite radiological evidence of pneumoconiosis. Another survey revealed that nearly 50% of working miners suffered from some degree of dyspnea. Several investigators are studying the effects of coal as a particle. However, in the present study coal dust is being investigated as a carrier of chemicals. Coal dust has been shown to contain significant amounts of heavy metals such as Fe, Ni, Al, Cd, Pb, and many others. In this paper we are concerned with the nature of the organic chemicals in coal, particularly in the presence of metal-binding agents. It is our contention that metal-binding ligands in coal (if extractable and absorbed) may interfere with trace metal metabolism by interacting with essential trace metals. In this manner, they may act as metalloenzyme inhibitors and thus may play an important role in health effects such as pulmonary, cardiovascular, neoplastic, and collagen diseases in which alterations of trace metal metabolism have been implicated. Metal-binding agents have been isolated from tobacco smoke condensate and from the smoke of other burned vegetable matter. These constituents were found to inhibit several metalloenzymes, i.e., galactose oxidase and catalase as well as to inhibit the in vitro function of copper-and iron-requiring biological systems such as respiratory activity of rat liver slices and uncoupling of rat liver mitochondria (V. Elia, unpublished results). Therefore, the goal of this study was a) to devise a method for extraction of coal dust; b) to establish whether the extracts contain metal-binding agents; and c) to obtain evidence that these agents may interfere with trace metal metabolism or act as inhibitors of metalloenzyme-requiring biological systems. Two types of bituminous coal, one obtained from a mine in Pennsylvania and the other from a mine in Utah were examined. The Pennsylvania coal is a harder variety, contains more heavy metals, and causes higher incidence of coal miner's pneumoconiosis in comparison to the Utah coal.

Influence of surgery for peptic ulcer on pneumoconiosis and tuberculosis.

Phillips, T. J. G. (1970). Brit. J. industr. Med., 27, 245-249. Influence of surgery for peptic ulcer on pneumoconiosis and tuberculosis. Simple pneumoconiosis in coal miners who have had a partial gastrectomy has often been observed at this Panel to lead to progressive massive fibrosis (PMF). A series comprising 224 men, who had had either a partial gastrectomy, a gastro-enterostomy with or without vagotomy, or a simple closure of a perforated peptic ulcer, was collected over a period of four years. A control series of 220 men who had originally presented with simple pneumoconiosis at least 10 years previously was also studied. Active pulmonary tuberculosis developed in 13 of 106 men (12·2%) following partial gastrectomy compared with 2 of 68 men (2·9%) in the gastro-enterostomy group, 1 of 50 men (2%) in the perforated peptic ulcer group, and 4 of 220 men (1·8%) in the control series. Of those who had had a partial gastrectomy, 48·6% progressed to massive fibrosis subsequently, compared with 16·5% in the gastro-enterostomy group, 22% in the perforated peptic ulcer group, and 37·9% in the control series. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed as well as the current theories of the aetiology of PMF. In view of the increased incidence of tuberculosis and possibly of massive fibrosis in those men who have had a partial gastrectomy in this series, it is recommended that this operation should be avoided in the treatment of peptic ulcer in coal miners with pneumoconiosis.

Candle or oil soot as a cause of pneumoconiosis in coal miners.

Candle or oil soot as a cause of pneumoconiosis in coal miners.

The Frank vectorcardiogram in coal miner's pneumoconiosis

Summary The relationship of the Frank vectorcardiogram to right ventricular hypertrophy in 22 coal miners with simple pneumoconiosis was investigated. Assessment of subjects without overt evidence of right ventricular enlargement was performed to delineate initial hemodynamic changes in the right ventricle as reflected in the vectorcardiogram. The parameters chosen failed to show evidence of right ventricular hypertrophy when right ventricular peak systolic pressures ranged from 20–38 mm.Hg. The results indicate that anatomic right ventricular enlargement is detected in the vectorcardiogram after pressure overloading of the right ventricle and not after the earlier stage of volume overloading.

The forced expiratory volume and the peak expiratory flow rate in pneumoconiosis

One hundred and sixty men with coal-miner's pneumoconiosis were studied in two groups to ascertain whether a good correlation existed between the F.E.V. 1 and the P.E.F.R. The first group consisted of 100 miners without chronic bronchitis and the second of 60 miners with chronic bronchitis. Correlation was good in both groups. The results indicated that, if chronic bronchitis is absent, the F.E.V. 1 in ml. may be estimated by multiplying the P.E.F.R. by 6·25, or, more conveniently, by 6. If chronic bronchitis is present, the F.E.V. 1 in ml. may be obtained by multiplying the P.E.F.R. by 6 and adding 300. It was also found that the presence of progressive massive fibrosis did not alter these relationships.

THE COURSE OF PNEUMOCONIOSIS IN COAL MINERS. SHOULD A MINER WITH THE CONDITION CONTINUE TO WORK IN DUST?

THE COURSE OF PNEUMOCONIOSIS IN COAL MINERS. SHOULD A MINER WITH THE CONDITION CONTINUE TO WORK IN DUST?

THE STUDY OF LUNG DUST IN PNEUMOCONIOSIS.

Abstract The Safety in Mines Research Establishment has been working since 1949 on techniques of analyses for dust in lungs as related to pneumoconiosis among coal miners. There appears to be a difference, as yet speculative, in the fibrinogenic properties of dust as related to their solubility. For a given severity of fibrosis, less of an insoluble dust is required the higher the quartz content. Pneumoconiosis of coal miners seems to vary with rank (quality) of coal or rock content of the airborne dust.