Mortality of a cohort of U.S. workers employed in the crushed stone industry, 1940-1980

Details

• Personal Author:
  Castellan, Robert M. ; Costello J ; Kullman, Greg J. ; Swecker GS
• Description:
  Respiratory disease mortality among workers employed at selected crushed stone mining and milling operations in the period 1940 through 1980 was evaluated. The sample group included 20 operations (nine limestone, six granite, and five traprock) and 5,807 workers; the final analyzed cohort consisted of 3,246 men with more than 1 year of tenure. Pneumoconiosis contributed to at least four deaths in this group; at least two of these deaths were apparently due to dust exposures in the crushed stone industry. Twenty workers had an underlying cause of death classified as pneumoconiosis and other respiratory diseases. Causes of death included chronic obstructive lung disease, chronic interstitial pneumonia, silicosis, lung abscess, and empyema. Mortality attributed to respiratory diseases was significantly increased overall, especially for a subcohort of crushed stone workers that processed granite. Overall standardized mortality rates (SMRs) were slightly elevated for lung cancer; there was, however, a significantly elevated lung cancer SMR for granite workers with at least 20 years latency. The authors conclude that the findings of this study are consistent with the hypothesis that exposure to respirable silica (14808607) dust is a risk factor for lung cancer in humans. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dust Lung Lung Diseases Mining Mortality Neoplasms Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Pneumoconiosis Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Silicon Dioxide Silicosis

  More +
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Crushed Stone Workers Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease Granite Industrial-medicine Limestone Lung-cancer Lung Cancer Mesothelioma Mining-industry Mortality Mortality-data NIOSH-Author Occupational-diseases Occupational-exposure Occupational-respiratory-disease Pneumoconiosis Respirable-dust Silica-dusts Silicosis Stone-processing Traprock

  More +
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• 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
• Volume:
  27
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00227439
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 1995 May; 27(5):625-640
• Contact Point Address:
  Joseph Costello, NIOSH, 1095 Willowdale Rd., Morgantown, WV 26505-2845
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1995
• 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:f103cf10cdf4d8980cd583cfc01271fcd8df0d20eb204008900f2d718815db02692f83345d17714c95157dd4b74b66ca12053d26110bdd2449856755297288ef
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/205146/cdc_205146_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 992.56 KB ]