Progressive Massive Fibrosis Resurgence Identified in U.S. Coal Miners Filing for Black Lung Benefits, 1970–2016

Details

• Personal Author:
  Almberg KS ; Blackley DJ ; Cohen RA ; Go LHT ; Halldin, Cara N. ; Laney AS ; Rose CS ; Storey, Eileen
• Description:
  RATIONALE: There has been a resurgence of progressive massive fibrosis (PMF) in the United States, particularly among central Appalachian miners. OBJECTIVES: We characterized the proportion of PMF among former U.S. coal miners applying for Federal Black Lung Program benefits, 1970-2016. METHODS: Data from the U.S. Department of Labor were used to characterize trends in proportion of PMF cases, defined as an approved black lung claim with a determination of PMF, among all miners who filed for federal benefits between January 1, 1970 and December 31, 2016. Joinpoint, logistic, and linear regression models were used to identify changes in the proportion of claimants with PMF over time. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: There were 4,679 unique PMF cases among claimants for federal black lung benefits between 1970 - 2016, with 2,474 miners determined to have PMF since 1996. The number of PMF cases among Federal Black Lung Program claimants fell from 404 (0.5% of claimants) in 1978 to a low of 18 cases (0.6%) in 1988, then increased to 353 cases (8.3%) in 2014. The proportion of federal black lung benefits claimants with PMF has been increasing since 1978 (0.06% APC; 95%CI 0.05%, 0.07%; p < .0001), and began increasing at a significantly increased rate after 1996 (0.26% APC; 95% CI 0.25%, 0.28%; p < .0001). Most miners with PMF (84%) last mined in West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, or Virginia. Since 1970, the proportion of claimants with PMF has increased significantly among miners who last worked in Kentucky (16.6% APC; 95%CI 16.5%, 16.7%), Pennsylvania (4.7% APC; 95%CI 4.6%, 4.8%), Tennessee (16.1% APC; 95%CI 15.7%, 16.4%), West Virginia (16.8% APC; 95%CI 16.6%, 16.9%), and most sharply among miners last working in Virginia (31.5% APC; 95%CI 31.2%, 31.7%), where in 2009, over 17% of claimants received a PMF determination. The proportion of PMF determinations for the rest of the U.S. have not exceeded 4%. CONCLUSIONS: There has been a resurgence of PMF, particularly in central Appalachian miners. The resurgence of this preventable disease points to the need for improved primary and secondary prevention of dust-related lung disease in U.S. coal miners. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Lung Lung Diseases Mining Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis Black Black Lung Disease Benefits Coal Mine Dust Coal Miners Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis Benefits Lung Benefits Lung Fibrosis Progressive Massive Fibrosis Surveillance
• ISSN:
  2329-6933
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Illinois ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  15
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20052771
• Citation:
  Ann Am Thorac Soc 2018 Dec; 15(12):1420-1426
• Contact Point Address:
  Kirsten S. Almberg, 1603 W. Taylor Street (MC923), Chicago, IL 60612
• Email:
  almberg@uic.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of the American Thoracic Society
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9c8673a4b362da7f9d603ca4ea17139fb226bfe5d744e90e62b9416a905bf5216f2397048cdf2907bd46a072f766db13b907b360c7a0252898bdcfa185cb7447
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/212246/cdc_212246_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 698.04 KB ]