Asbestos-related disease among sheet metal workers 1986-2004: radiographic changes over time

Details

• Personal Author:
  Haile E ; Welch L
• Description:
  Sheet metal workers do not apply asbestos insulation, but are often exposed to asbestos in the course of installation, repair and renovation of HVAC systems or in shipbuilding, repair and refitting. Under a cooperative labor-management occupational health initiative, 18,211 sheet metal workers with at least 20 years of experience in the trade received a medical screening (including chest X-rays) between 1986 and 2004. Researchers identified 2,181 workers whose initial chest x-rays indicated no symptoms of pneumoconiosis (dust-related occupational lung disease) at first examination. Comparing the baseline data with results from a follow-up x-ray years later, researchers found disturbing evidence that nearly 400 had suffered newly-developed pleural and/or parenchymal disease. Asbestosis should be considered an active disease three decades after exposure ends. Even 30 years after most asbestos use in the construction industry was eliminated, workers continue to develop new cases of asbestos-related respiratory diseases. Of the 2,181 workers examined, 115 (5.3%) showed parenchymal disease (with or without pleural disease), and 270 (12.4%) showed evidence of pleural disease alone (without parenchymal disease). Both smoking and shipyard work were associated with elevated risk of asbestosis and other asbestos-related diseases. Workers exposed to asbestos in the construction industry need continued medical surveillance for early detection of disease. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asbestos Environmental Exposure Environmental Pollution Hazardous Substances Inorganic Chemicals Lung Metals Metal Workers Neoplasms Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Asbestos-products Asbestosis Cancer Environmental-hazards Exposure-levels Hazards Health-hazards Metal-compounds Metal-workers Metallic-compounds Pulmonary-system Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory-system-disorders Risk-factors Work-environment Workers

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• Publisher:
  CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046806
• Citation:
  Silver Spring, MD: CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 2014 Jun; :1
• Email:
  lwelch@cpwr.com
• CAS Registry Number:
  Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  Asbestos-related disease among sheet metal workers 1986-2004: radiographic changes over time
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4e55a8a3614827bc3d0b92be10ef2e2c922730cac9b7b72009bb0f161983f4e512cd0b8d7e1117457e9a5e0c35bc9bb88d94c8f6a61197fa8408c63829082c07
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/202114/cdc_202114_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 46.95 KB ]