Persistence and incidence of respiratory symptoms over five years: underground coal mining, cigarette smoking, and methacholine responsiveness

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hankinson, John L. ; Petsonk, Edward L. ; Short, Steven R. ; Wang, Mei Lin
• Description:
  Longitudinal studies in underground coal miners have documented accelerated declines in FEV1 and development of radiographic changes of simple and complicated pneumoconiosie in relation to work tenure and other indicators of exposure to the mine environment. Respiratory symptoms have also been associated with coal mine work, although incidence in cohorts has not often been reported . We evaluated five respiratory tract symptoms (chronic cough, chronic phlegm, dyspnea, persistent wheeze, and attacks of dyspnea with wheeze), occupational and smoking histories, and airways responsiveness to Methacholine from a prospective study of central Appalachian underground bituminous coal miners (M) and nonmining regional controls (C) . Of 428 workers who attended the initial health survey, 350 or 82% (174 M, 176 C) completed the final survey after a mean 5.1 (range 4.1 to 7.3) years . Miners were younger than controls (37. 3 vs 40 . 6 yrs) , but were similar for smoking status, responder status, and followup duration. For four of the symptoms, miners reported both more incidence and persistence than controls over five years. However attacks of dyspnea with wheeze were similar in M and C . Among the miners, a higher proportion of those who developed cough, dyspnea, or attacks of dyspnea/wheeze worked at the coal cutting face . Phlegm and persistent wheeze developed more among M than C, but no association with coalface work was observed. Five year incidence and persistence of the four symptoms were also associated with initial cigarette smoking; persistence of dyspnea/wheezing attacks was similar in smokers (N = 102) and nonsmokers (N=l57) . Methacholine responders at first survey (N = 96) reported a greater incidence of dyspnea/wheeze attacks and more persistence of phlegm than nonresponders. In this cohort, progression of respiratory symptoms over five years in the coal miners appears consistent with a dust-related effect, and in smokers, with tobacco smoke exposure. Initial methacholine responsiveness also affected symptom evolution. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Environmental Exposure Environmental Pollution Lung Lung Diseases Men Methacholine Compounds Mining Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Smokers Women

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• Keywords:
  Coal Miners Coal Mines Coal Mining Environmental Exposure Environmental Hazards Exposure Levels Humans Methacholines Mining Industry Pneumoconiosis Pulmonary Function Pulmonary System Pulmonary System Disorders Respiratory Diseases Respiratory System Disorders Risk Factors Smoking Underground Miners Underground Mines Underground Mining

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• ISSN:
  1073-449X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• 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
• Volume:
  149
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20047931
• Citation:
  Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1994 Apr; 149(4)(Pt 2):A402
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Part Number:
  2
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:07a80d4af2c095055af728a6fa0101cc2f9b8447f9c6e915b02d7f5456fd3e280e689d2021cb1cad3adcca8ea651c8e41948ab4ff9956028594c527693369466
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/202864/cdc_202864_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.79 MB ]