Kaolin pneumoconiosis in a Georgia mill.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Piacitelli, Laurie A. ; Sepulveda, Martin-Jose ; Stettler, Lloyd E. ; Tucker JH ; Vallayathan V
• Description:
  Results of a health hazard evaluation conducted by NIOSH at a kaolin mill (SIC-3295) in Georgia were summarized. Area and personal air samples were analyzed for respirable dust, crystalline silica (7631869), fibers, and trace metals. Medical evaluations including lung function testing and chest X-ray examinations were performed on 49 current and 21 former workers. The workers were administered a modified version of the British Research Medical Research Council Respiratory questionnaire. Lung tissue biopsy samples from two workers were examined. Airborne dust samples had an elemental composition corresponding to 96 percent kaolinite (12141467) and 4 percent titanium-dioxide (13463677). Total dust exposures at three work stations exceeded 10 milligrams per cubic meter. Baghouse and bin related work had the highest dust exposures. Five mill work stations adjacent to pulverizers and the baghouse had respirable dust fractions exceeding 50 percent. Other locations had 10 to 20 percent respirable dust fractions. No crystalline silica was found in the respirable dust samples. Pneumoconiosis was present in 11 percent of the current workers. Former workers with 5 or more years of kaolin exposure had a 19 percent prevalence rate of pneumoconiosis. Three of eight workers with pneumoconiosis exhibited restrictive, obstructive, and mixed deficits in their lung function. All had prominent smoking histories. The two biopsy specimens exhibited nodular lesions and diffuse fibrosis. The authors conclude that pneumoconiosis has been documented in a group of kaolin workers and that crystalline silica free kaolinite has a definite pathogenic potential. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dust Environmental Monitoring Epidemiology Hazardous Substances Lung Lung Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Safety

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• Keywords:
  Air-sampling Health-hazards Lung-disorders Lung-fibrosis Lung-tissue Mineral-dusts Occupational-exposure Particulate-dust Respirable-dust
• ISBN:
  9780250406104
• Publisher:
  Butterworth
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; Massachusetts ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Utah ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies ; DBBS - Division of Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  331-344
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00168033
• Citation:
  Health issues related to metal and nonmetallic mining. Wagner WL, Rom WN, Merchant JA, eds. Boston, MA: Butterworth, 1983 Jan; :331-344
• CAS Registry Number:
  Aluminum silicate (Al2SiO5) (CAS RN 12141-46-7) ; Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9) ; Titania (CAS RN 13463-67-7)
• Editor(s):
  Wagner WL; Rom WN; Merchant JA
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1983
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3295 - Minerals, ground or treated - (SIC)
• Source Full Name:
  Health issues related to metal and nonmetallic mining. Wagner WL, Rom WN, Merchant JA, eds. Boston, MA: Butterworth, 1983 Jan; . Proceedings of the Fourth Annual RMCOEH Occupational and Environmental Health Conference, April 7-9, 1982, Park City, Utah, sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7811f4d30f75fc76af122018866b87f64a1b1ffd259839975ed10aa5c1f6f0124ffec77cc20613111066eb8ee3080ff0ea0ca1df05a34a0838c97c5b4ef540b7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/185158/cdc_185158_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.27 MB ]