Respiratory ill health among coal miners and telecommunication workers in south Wales.

Abstract

ABSTRACr As part of a large cross sectional epidemiological study of respiratory disease in coalminers, the respiratory health of miners in one colliery in south Wales has been compared with the health of nearby telecommunication (telecom) workers. The studies were carried out in 1981 and 1982. The answers to questionnaires on respiratory symptoms and results of lung spirometry indicate a much greater frequency of respiratory ill health among the miners than the telecom workers. The frequency of symptoms of chronic bronchitis among the current employees was 31% in the miners and 5% in the telecom workers, and these symptoms were reported as frequently by younger as by older miners. Reports of other respiratory symptoms showed similarly large differences between current miners and telecom workers. These differences were seen both within non-smoking and smoking groups. Comparisons of FEV, with predicted values (several different predictions were used) confirmed that the differences in reported symptoms were accompanied by differences in lung function; of the order of 20% of current miners had an FEVY less than 80% of predicted compared with 10% of current telecom workers. The excess of respiratory disease shown among these miners is not necessarily a consequence of the dust concentrations currently experienced underground, nor is the colliery necessarily representative of the coal industry generally. The findings, however, indicate the continued need for measures to improve the respiratory health of these men.Many studies of respiratory disease in British coalminers have shown an excess of chronic bronchitis and lower levels of lung function than in comparable groups.'6 The data for the most recent of these studies was collected in 1966, the least recent in 1949. Much debate centred on whether this excess of respiratory disease was related to occupation or to other social differences. Subsequently the likelihood of having persistent productive cough,78 of having a low FEVY, 9 -12 and of suffering excessive loss of FEV, over a period'3 was shown to be influenced by a man's cumulative lifetime exposure to respirable dust, confirming that occupational exposure contributed to the excess of respiratory disease in coalminers. borne respirable dust have been reduced progressively in British coalmines since 1970,16 and this has resulted in a reduction of the incidence of pneumoconiosis to about one third of that before 1970.'7 ' In view of these changes, and likely improvements in social conditions occurring over the past few decades, the general respiratory health of miners might be expected to have improved.We are at present conducting cross sectional epidemiological studies of selected miners from three collieries in Britain to establish among other things whether exposure to the respirable dust concentrations current in British mines still contributes to respiratory disease in exposed miners. The surveys are still in progress, but we are currently analysing the results from the first colliery, in south Wales. The diff...

Coal mining and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a review of the evidence

“…Another investigation in South Wales compared the respiratory health of miners from a single colliery with that of a control group of telecommunication workers from the same locality 3. More of the miners than controls reported symptoms of chronic bronchitis (31% versus 5%) and their lung function also tended to be worse.…”

Health Effects of Respirable Dust from Opencast Coal Mining

“…The incidence could not be statistically related to level of dustiness of the working conditions. The overall incidence in the work force was 13% in contrast with an incidence of 22% in deep miners and 5% in the control group of telecommunication workers 32 provided in the reference given by the Institute. However, the reference which should have been quoted is a subsequent report 33 which identified an incidence of 6% in telecommunication workers and 9% in an albeit relatively small sample of postmen, a group that may also experience high occupational levels of DEPs.…”