2009 Annual Report on Silicosis in Michigan

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kalinowski DJ ; Reilly MJ ; Rosenman, Kenneth D.
• Description:
  This is the 18th annual report on silicosis in Michigan. The report is based on partial data for 1985 and 1986, complete data for the years 1987 through 2007 and preliminary data for 2008 and 2009. A total of 1,085 cases of silicosis have been confirmed from 1985 - 2009: 22 of those reports were confirmed in 2007. To date, another 19 cases have been confirmed for 2008, and 11 cases in 2009. The average number of cases reported from 1998 through 2007 was 29 and has decreased from an average of 62 reports a year in previous years. We are encouraged by this downward trend and will monitor reports in future years to determine if the smaller number of cases reported since 1998 continues. Based on capture-recapture analysis we estimate that although we only received 22 reports of newly diagnosed silicosis cases in 2007 there were another 67-139 individuals diagnosed with silicosis in Michigan in 2007 who were not reported. Silicosis occurs mainly among men born before 1940, who began working in a Michigan ferrous foundry in the 1930s through the 1960s and worked in silica for over 25 years. Forty-one percent of the patients are African American. The annual average incidence rate of silicosis among African American males (9.2 cases per 100,000) is over six times higher than that of white males (1.5 cases per 100,000). The rates within specific counties ranged between one to 385 times higher for African American males than the rates for white males. Exposure to silica occurred mainly in companies in Muskegon, Saginaw and Wayne counties. Two Michigan counties are in the top 10 with the highest national mortality rates for silicosis: Alpena was 8th with 15.2 deaths per million individuals and Muskegon was 10th with 13.4 deaths per million individuals. In comparison, the overall age-adjusted silicosis death rate of United States residents 15 years and older from 1995-2004 was 0.8 deaths per million individuals. The patients identified with silicosis generally have severe disease. Twenty-four percent have progressive massive fibrosis (PMF) and another 34% have advanced simple silicosis. Only about a third of all patients have normal breathing tests. Nineteen percent had been told they had tuberculosis (includes either clinical disease or a positive skin test). Individuals with silicosis in Michigan have an increase of over 300% in the likelihood of dying from non-malignant respiratory disease, both restrictive and obstructive, and an 80% increase in the likelihood of dying from lung cancer. Despite the severity of disease, 61% of the patients with known filing status had not applied for workers' compensation. The percentage of patients applying has decreased in recent years. Although silicosis typically occurs after a long duration of exposure to silica, there continue to be patients who develop silicosis after a relatively short period of time because of the severity of that exposure. Two individuals who developed silicosis began working with silica in the 1990s, 17 in the 1980s, 66 in the 1970s and 157 in the 1960s. Exposure to silica is still occurring in foundries, although working conditions have clearly improved from the 1930s and 1940s. In 2007, MIOSHA began an initiative to identify and inspect all silica-using foundries in the state. Forty-five foundries were inspected. Personal air monitoring for silica was conducted in 41 of the 45 facilities; 26 companies had silica levels below the MIOSHA PEL and 15 were above the PEL. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Lung Diseases Morbidity Mortality Occupational Diseases Occupational Health Race Factors Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Sex Characteristics Silicon Dioxide Tuberculosis

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• Keywords:
  Foundry Workers Gender Factors Lung Disease Monitoring Systems Morbidity Rates Mortality Data Occupational Diseases Racial Factors Respiratory Diseases Silica Silicosis Surveillance Programs TB

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• Publisher:
  Michigan State University
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Annual Report
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-28
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054488
• Citation:
  East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University, 2011 Feb; :1-28
• CAS Registry Number:
  Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• Performing Organization:
  Michigan State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  2009 Annual report on silicosis in Michigan
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5f88dbcc78a2ccf01d3b70d551cbcef6e1547d46bf2caeca4cc22eb6546c1e033b70935ea8d4ad60bd17b7df91bf977f4e9dc460b6511b4de9b8d024d43cadf5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217038/cdc_217038_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 295.56 KB ]