Historical and emerging workplaces affected by silica exposure since the 1930 Johannesburg conference on Silicosis, with special reference to construction

Sauvé, Jean-François

doi:10.1002/ajim.22507

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(22 reference statements)

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“…Silicosis remains an important global health problem, with disease attributed to established and new sources of exposure 1 2. The most common (chronic) form of silicosis usually occurs in older workers with many decades of low-level exposure 2.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of silicosis: reports from the SWORD scheme in the UK from 1996 to 2017

et al. 2018

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ObjectiveTo document the demographic risk factors of workers reported to have silicosis in the UK.MethodsAll cases of silicosis reported to the Surveillance of Work-related and Occupational Respiratory Disease (SWORD) scheme between January 1996 and December 2017 were classified into one of eight industry categories, and one of five age groups. In addition, to investigate whether there had been any temporal change, mean age and range at diagnosis was plotted for each year. From 2006, data were also available relating to the date of onset of symptoms, allowing a comparison between workers with and without respiratory symptoms.ResultsFor the period between 1996 and 2017, there were 216 cases of silicosis reported. The mean (range) age of those reported was 61 years (23–89), with the majority (98%) being male. Across all industries, 65% of cases were diagnosed in individuals of working age (<65 for men and <60 for women). Silicosis was reported in young workers across all industry groups, with around one in six of all silicosis cases affecting workers under the age of 46 years. There was no clear trend in age of diagnosis with time. Between 2006 and 2017, 81% of 108 workers with silicosis were reported to be symptomatic.ConclusionsSilicosis remains an important health problem in the UK affecting workers of all ages across a wide range of industries traditionally associated with silica exposure.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of silicosis: reports from the SWORD scheme in the UK from 1996 to 2017

et al. 2018

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“…Silicosis leads to death in several industries and workplaces, such as quarries, mining, tunneling, foundries, glass industry, ceramics, cement, and all the sectors in which sandblasting is used. In the past, around the 1930s, silica exposure and silicosis were mainly observed in mining sectors and in quarry workers [46]; the areas of concern currently are the silicosis among dental technicians and construction workers, particularly those involved in huge urban renovation projects throughout the country. Although silicosis cases in the ceramic sector are of high importance in the media, there is no currently available data to assess the real situation.…”

Section: Increased Awareness Of Silicosis and Its Hazardmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silicosis in Turkey: Is it an Endless Nightmare or is There Still Hope?

Akgün

Ergan

2018

Turk Thorac J

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Silicosis is an ancient but still life-threatening occupational lung disease because of its incurable nature. Although its risks are known in many occupational settings and effective control strategies are well established, new cases, even epidemics, continue to occur in different sectors of Turkey. Before taking action, defining the magnitude of the problem is essential. In this concise review, we aimed to present the current situation of silicosis in Turkey. According to the data available to date, silicosis continues to be a major health problem in different sectors. Sandblasting seems to have the highest risk for the development of silicosis. Disease onset at early age and history of short exposure duration may indicate intense silica exposure. After denim sandblasters, dental technicians seem to be the new and recently recognized high-risk occupation group as per the increasing reports. Because of the lack of a definite treatment of silicosis, prevention of the disease should be the main target. Better occupational disease registry systems would be useful to assess the magnitude of the problem. In addition to implementing the necessary regulations, a close inspection of the workplaces for potential risks is essential. Other social and economic factors related with the occurrence of disease, such as unregistered employment rate and unlicensed and uninsured work, should also be considered. Finally, optimal healthcare and better living conditions for patients with silicosis should be ensured.

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“…Unfortunately, the types of manufacturing were not specified in the mortality data. Increasingly pneumoconiosis is being reported in industries internationally where the risk was low before [21, 22], such as hydraulic fracturing and countertop production. Manufacturing of new products such as engineered stone has led to new cases of pneumoconiosis in the manufacturing sector [23, 24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Usefulness of occupation and industry information in mortality data in South Africa from 2006 to 2015

et al. 2019

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Background There is no population based occupational health surveillance system in South Africa, thus mortality data may be a cost effective means of monitoring trends and possible associations with occupation. The aim of this study was to use deaths due to pneumoconiosis (a known occupational disease) to determine if the South African mortality data are a valid data source for occupational health surveillance in South Africa. Methods Proportions of complete occupation and industry information for the years 2006–2015 were calculated for working age and retired adults. Deaths due to pneumoconiosis were identified in the data set and mortality odds ratios calculated for specific occupations and industry in reference to those who reported being unemployed using logistic regression. Results Only 16.1% of death notifications provided a usual occupation despite 43.1% of the population being employed in the year. The MORs for occupation provided significant increased odds of pneumoconiosis for miners (9.04), those involved in manufacturing (4.77), engineers and machinery mechanics (6.85). Along with these jobs the Mining (9.8), Manufacture (2.2) and Maintenance and repair industries (6.0) have significantly increased odds of pneumoconiosis deaths. The data can be said to provide a useful source of occupational disease information for surveillance where active surveillance systems do not exist. Conclusion The findings indicate valid associations were found between occupational disease and expected jobs and industry. The most useful data are from 2013 onwards due to more detailed coding of occupation and industry.

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Historical and emerging workplaces affected by silica exposure since the 1930 Johannesburg conference on Silicosis, with special reference to construction

Cited by 9 publications

References 33 publications

Epidemiology of silicosis: reports from the SWORD scheme in the UK from 1996 to 2017

Epidemiology of silicosis: reports from the SWORD scheme in the UK from 1996 to 2017

Silicosis in Turkey: Is it an Endless Nightmare or is There Still Hope?

Usefulness of occupation and industry information in mortality data in South Africa from 2006 to 2015

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