Non-malignant respiratory disease mortality in male Colorado Plateau uranium miners, 1960 – 2016

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Am J Ind Med
• Personal Author:
  Kelly-Reif, Kaitlin ; Bertke, Stephen ; Daniels, Robert D ; Richardson, David B ; Schubauer-Berigan, Mary K
• 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.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Humans Lung Neoplasms Male Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Radon Respiration Disorders Respiratory Tract Diseases Silicosis Uranium

  More +
• Source:
  Am J Ind Med. 65(10):773-782
• Pubmed ID:
  35941829
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC10031748
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/ ; T42 OH008412/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado
• Volume:
  65
• Issue:
  10
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:8a98cd9e2926530f29718fc7fb8ff00e6f522657ce067d058eedabcc22f53909
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/126024/cdc_126024_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 128.45 KB ]