Respiratory Protection: Associated Factors and Effectiveness of Respirator Use Among Underground Coal Miners

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ducatman A ; Li H ; Petsonk E ; Seixas, Noah S. ; Wang M
• Description:
  We investigated factors associated with the use of respiratory protection and explored the effectiveness of respirators among coal miners. Between 1987 and 1992, respiratory symptoms, smoking, lung function, and dust exposures were assessed longitudinally among 185 underground bituminous coal miners. Self-reported use of respiratory protection was expressed as mean percent time wearing a respirator. Miners' respirator use increased with mean dust concentration, but decreased with tobacco consumption. Increasing age was associated with greater respirator use. Miners who had respiratory symptoms at the initial survey subsequently reported greater use of respirators. A significant protective association was found between the miners' respirator use and FEV(1) levels at both the initial and follow-up surveys. These results provide additional evidence that respirator use is protective of lung health. When respiratory protection programs are developed, factors that may affect respirator use behavior, such as age, smoking, and respiratory symptoms, should be considered. Future studies of respiratory health will need to consider workers' use of respiratory protection. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Dust Irritants Lung Lung Diseases Mining Neoplasms Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Smokers

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Respiratory Protection Cancer-rates Coal-miners Coal-workers-pneumoconiosis Coal Mining Dust-exposure Dust-inhalation Dust Exposure FEV 1 Lung-cancer Lung-disease Mine-workers Quantitative-analysis Respirator Use Respiratory-irritants Respiratory-protection Respiratory-system-disorders Respiratory Symptoms Smoking

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  55-62
• Volume:
  42
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20022284
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2002 Jul; 42(1):55-62
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr. Edward Lee Petsonk, Surveillance Branch, Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, NIOSH, 1095 Willowdale Rd., Morgantown, WV 26505
• Email:
  elp2@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2002
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches: Control Technology and Personal Protective Equipment
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7b56bb79568db1f94eb6de2fdfca7bd4ed549a127453e51552cb3088d6417bcbee975adecaeab97140191689ed60b4d089650c316be95002fc04bb6300bf1a7c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/199107/cdc_199107_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 189.17 KB ]