Interstitial Lung Diseases in the U.S. Mining Industry: Using MSHA Data to Examine Trends and the Prevention Effects of Compliance with Health Regulations, 1996–2015

Yorio, Patrick L.; Laney, A. Scott; Halldin, Cara N.; Blackley, David J.; Moore, Susan; Wizner, Kerri; Radonovich, Lewis J.; Greenawald, Lee A.

doi:10.1111/risa.13000

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Most cases had features of accelerated silicosis and mixed dust pneumoconiosis rather than the classic lesions associated with CWP. Yorio et al investigated lung disease and pneumoconiosis patterns by MSHA district from 2006 to 2015. Districts 4, 5, and 12 (central Appalachia) contained 75% of all reported US CWP cases.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Respirable coal mine dust in underground mines, United States, 1982‐2017

Doney

Blackley

Hale

et al. 2019

American J Industrial Med

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Background Exposure to respirable coal mine dust can cause pneumoconiosis, an irreversible lung disease that can be debilitating. The mass concentration and quartz mass percent of respirable coal mine dust samples (annually, by occupation, by geographic region) from surface coal mines and surface facilities at U.S. underground mines during 1982‐2017 were summarized. Methods Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) collected and analyzed data for respirable dust and a subset of the samples were analyzed for quartz content. We calculated the respirable dust and quartz concentration geometric mean, arithmetic mean, and percent of samples exceeding the respirable dust permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 2.0 mg/m3, and the average percent of quartz content in samples. Results The geometric mean for 288 705 respirable dust samples was 0.17 mg/m3 with 1.6% of the samples exceeding the 2.0 mg/m3 PEL. Occupation‐specific geometric means for respirable dust in active mining areas were highest among drillers. The geometric mean for respirable dust was higher in central Appalachia compared to the rest of the U.S. The geometric mean for respirable quartz including 54 040 samples was 0.02 mg/m3 with 15.3% of these samples exceeding the applicable standard (PEL or reduced PEL). Occupation‐specific geometric means for respirable quartz were highest among drillers. Conclusion Higher concentrations of respirable dust or quartz in specific coal mining occupations, notably drilling occupations, and in certain U.S. regions, underscores the need for continued surveillance to identify workers at higher risk for pneumoconiosis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Respirable coal mine dust in underground mines, United States, 1982‐2017

Doney

Blackley

Hale

et al. 2019

American J Industrial Med

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“…Working in mines exposes miners to a dangerous and toxic work environment, with most exposures leading to chronic diseases of the cardiac, respiratory, and renal systems 7‐11 . Earlier studies have documented increased occurrence of cancer, 12‐14 diabetes, 15,16 and accidental injuries 17,18 among miners.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mortality among workers employed in the mining industry in the United States: A 29‐year analysis of the National Health Interview Survey—Linked Mortality File, 1986‐2014

Adeyemi

2020

American J Industrial Med

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Background Working in the mining industry increases the risk of chronic diseases and mortality. We investigated overall and cause‐specific mortality rates among workers employed in the mining sector in the United States. Methods We pooled 29 years of National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) public‐use data from 1986 to 2014, with mortality follow‐up until 31 December 2015. We grouped respondents into the mining and nonmining sectors based on the responses given at the time of the NHIS interview. We compared the overall and cause‐specific mortality rates using standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) adjusted for the competing cause of death. Results From 1986 to 2014, an estimated 14 million deaths were recorded among subjects eligible for mortality follow‐up. Of these, an estimated 50,000 deaths occurred among those working in the mining sector. A significantly higher overall mortality (SMR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.17‐1.36), and mortality from heart diseases (adjusted SMR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.31‐1.83), cancer (adjusted SMR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.14‐1.48) and unintentional injuries (adjusted SMR = 1.41, 95%CI: 1.03‐1.85) were observed among those employed in the mining sector. When the analyses were restricted to men, only the SMRs for heart disease and cancer remained statistically significant. No elevated SMR for deaths from chronic lower respiratory disease was observed in the study. Conclusion Workers employed in the mining sector have a significantly increased total death rate and death rates from heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries.

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“…Moreover, between 2009 and 2019, the number of cases of occupational asthma reported by chest physicians progressively increased, which shows that this problem is far from being solved (https: //www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/respiratory-diseases.pdf (accessed on 19 July 2021)). Nonetheless, short-term exposure to respirable dust can also cause harm, especially in the upper respiratory tract, with symptoms such as coughing, difficulty breathing, and irritation of airways [18]. With a particular focus on the mining industry, besides duration of exposure, coexisting illnesses, and other risk factors, such as smoking [15], the severity and prevalence of the abovementioned occupational diseases are also related to the characteristics of the ore being exploited [14], as well as the geological characteristics of the mine [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational Exposure to Mineral Dust in Mining and Earthmoving Works: A Scoping Review

Duarte

Branco

Rodrigues

et al. 2022

Safety

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Anthropogenic activity is related to several environmental imbalances, including dust. Particulate matter can also hinder humans with numerous health consequences, such as asthma, cancer, and pneumoconiosis. With a particular focus on mineral dust, this review is intended to determine in which circumstances occupational exposure occurs in the mining and earthmoving industries. Research followed the guidelines provided by the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols and its extension for scoping reviews. Of the 8993 records identified, only 24 passed both exclusion and inclusion criteria. Within the pool of results, it was possible to identify the following variables related to dust exposure: job-related (activity, job category, and site), engineering (equipment, transport system), technical (distance), and physical (season and weather) variables. Due to the significant variance in protocol settings, it was challenging to perform a general analysis, resulting in a study-by-study approach. The most significant conclusion of this study is not related to the setting of occupational exposure, although it derives from it. The necessity of adopting standard procedures for data collection, independent of research objective, was demonstrated within the context of occupational exposure to mineral dust.

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Interstitial Lung Diseases in the U.S. Mining Industry: Using MSHA Data to Examine Trends and the Prevention Effects of Compliance with Health Regulations, 1996–2015

Cited by 11 publications

References 18 publications

Respirable coal mine dust in underground mines, United States, 1982‐2017

Respirable coal mine dust in underground mines, United States, 1982‐2017

Mortality among workers employed in the mining industry in the United States: A 29‐year analysis of the National Health Interview Survey—Linked Mortality File, 1986‐2014

Occupational Exposure to Mineral Dust in Mining and Earthmoving Works: A Scoping Review

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