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Non-malignant respiratory disease mortality in male Colorado Plateau uranium miners, 1960 – 2016
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10 2022
Source: Am J Ind Med. 65(10):773-782 -
Alternative Title:Am J Ind Med
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Personal Author:
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Description:Background.
To evaluate trends of non-malignant respiratory disease (NMRD) mortality among US underground uranium miners on the Colorado Plateau, and to estimate the exposure-response association between cumulative radon progeny exposure and NMRD subtype mortality.
Methods.
Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMRs) and excess relative rates per 100 Working Level Months (ERR/100WLM) were estimated in a cohort of 4,021 male underground uranium miners who were followed from 1960 through 2016.
Results.
We observed elevated SMRs for all NMRD subtypes. Silicosis had the largest SMR (n=52, SMR = 41.4; 95%CI: 30.9, 54.3), followed by other pneumoconiosis (n=49, SMR = 39.6; 95%CI: 29.6, 52.3) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) (n=64, SMR=4.77; 95%CI 3.67, 6.09). SMRs for silicosis increased with duration of employment; SMRs for IPF increased with duration of employment and calendar period. There was a positive association between cumulative radon exposure and silicosis with evidence of modification by smoking (ERR/100WLM≥10packyears= 0.78; 95%CI: 0.05, 24.6 and ERR/100WLM<10packyears = 0.01; 95%CI: −0.03, 0.52), as well as a small positive association between radon and IPF (ERR/100WLM= 0.06, 95%CI: 0.00, 0.24); these associations were driven by workers with prior employment in hard rock mining.
Conclusions.
Uranium mining workers had excess NMRD mortality compared with the general population; this excess persisted throughout follow-up. Exposure-response analyses indicated a positive association between radon exposure and IPF and silicosis, but these analyses have limitations due to outcome misclassification and missing information on occupational co-exposures such as silica dust.
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Pubmed ID:35941829
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Pubmed Central ID:PMC10031748
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