Profusion of opacities in simple coal worker's pneumoconiosis is associated with reduced lung function

Details

• Personal Author:
  Blackley DJ ; Cohen RA ; Halldin, Cara N. ; Laney AS
• Description:
  BACKGROUND: A large body of evidence demonstrates dose-response relationships of cumulative coal mine dust exposure with lung function impairment and with small-opacity profusion. However, medical literature generally holds that simple coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) is not associated with lung function impairment. This study examines the relationship between small-opacity profusion and lung function in US underground coal miners with simple CWP. METHODS: Miners were examined during 2005 to 2013 as part of the Enhanced Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program. Work histories were obtained, and chest radiographs and spirometry were administered. Lung parenchymal abnormalities consistent with CWP were classified according to International Labor Organization guidelines, and reference values for FEV 1 and FVC were calculated using reference equations derived from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Differences in lung function were evaluated by opacity profusion, and regression models were fit to characterize associations between profusion and lung function. RESULTS: A total of 8,230 miners were eligible for analysis; 269 had category 1 or 2 simple CWP. Decrements in FEV 1 % predicted were nearly consistent across profusion subcategories. Clear decrements in FVC % predicted and FEV 1/FVC were also observed, although these were less consistent. Controlling for smoking status, BMI, and mining tenure, each 1-unit subcategory increase in profusion was associated with decreases of 1.5% (95% CI, 1.0%-1.9%), 1.0% (95% CI, 0.6%-1.3%), and 0.6% (95% CI, 0.4%-0.8%) in FEV 1 % predicted, FVC % predicted, and FEV 1/FVC, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We observed progressively lower lung function across the range of small-opacity profusion. These findings address a long-standing question in occupational medicine and point to the importance of medical surveillance and respiratory disease prevention in this workforce. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Dust Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Lung Lung Diseases Mining Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Radiography Respiratory Function Tests Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Chest-X-rays Coal-dust Coal-miners Coal-mining Coal-workers-pneumoconiosis Disease-prevention Dose-response Dust-exposure Employee-exposure Lung-disease Lung-disorders Lung-function Medical-monitoring Medical-screening Pulmonary-function Pulmonary-function-tests Pulmonary-system-disorders Radiographic-analysis Respirable-dust Respiratory-system-disorders Spirometry Surveillance-programs Underground-miners Underground-mining Work-environment Worker-health X-ray-analysis

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• ISSN:
  0012-3692
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; Illinois ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  148
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20047033
• Citation:
  Chest 2015 Nov; 148(5):1293-1299
• Contact Point Address:
  David J. Blackley, Dr.P.H., Surveillance Branch, Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1095 Willowdale Rd, Mail Stop HG900, Morgantown, WV 26505
• Email:
  dblackley@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Chest
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:443f6dddcd190ba8b3c4fab4ae97f20f9029d0bf237f8c24e8fbd1777a7897320c59a908758748a86d0fc06ab6a9784e2580e6ca5918db77cb9f5a1ae0745485
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/202265/cdc_202265_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 602.19 KB ]