Occupational Exposures in Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease

Details

• Personal Author:
  Balmes JR ; Blanc PD ; Redlich C
• Description:
  To the Editor: We read with interest the review of the clinical epidemiology of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease published in CHEST (March 2022) by Kumar and Loebinger, which did give appropriate attention to general environmental sources of exposure and disease, such as water and soil. We were disappointed, however, that the important role played by occupational factors in nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease was not adequately addressed. Chief among these is silica dust exposure, which is a well-established, potent risk factor for such disease, with considerable literature from the South African gold mines. Studies also suggest that exposures through other types of dusty work, including those leading to pneumoconioses other than silicosis, also are associated with an increased risk of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease. Beyond silica and other dusts, zoonotic nontuberculous mycobacterial lung infection from occupational contact also has been reported. Calling attention to the work-related risk of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease is important because, as one recent case report aptly emphasized, eliciting an occupational history is critical to appropriately identifying the cause of such disease. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dust Lung Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety
• Keywords:
  Dust Exposure Mycobacterium Occupational Exposure Pulmonary Disorders
• ISSN:
  0012-3692
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Connecticut ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  162
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067182
• Citation:
  Chest 2022 Aug; 162(2):e106-e107
• Contact Point Address:
  Paul D. Blanc MD, MSPH, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
• Email:
  paul.blanc@ucsf.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Berkeley
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Chest
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fb7160b915750a73709d6d08577d5da3805f0248c2a184bd7ef0f6af3fcd860d7876432f3b2bc133817237c72f9bc144cedfe833c53577840159e4562aee75d3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231321/cdc_231321_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 114.90 KB ]