Silicosis-Related Years of Potential Life Lost Before Age 65 Years – United States, 1968–2005

Details

• Personal Author:
  Mazurek JM ; Wood JM
• Description:
  Occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica occurs in construction, mining, manufacturing, and other industries and can result in silicosis and other lung diseases. Classic (chronic) silicosis results from exposure to relatively low concentrations of respirable crystalline silica for >10 years. Exposure to higher concentrations of silica for 5-10 years can cause accelerated silicosis, and symptoms of acute silicosis can sometimes develop within weeks of initial exposure to extreme concentrations of silica. Deaths in young adults from acute or accelerated silicosis generally reflect more recent and intense exposures. Silicosis is incurable, but preventable through effective control and elimination of exposure to respirable crystalline silica. To characterize recent trends in premature mortality attributed to silicosis in the United States, CDC analyzed annual mortality data from 1968-2005, the most recent years for which complete data were available. Years of potential life lost before age 65 years (YPLL) and mean YPLL were calculated using standard methodology. During 1968-2005, total annual YPLL attributed to silicosis (17,130) declined 90.2%, from 1,441 (mean per decedent: 7.7 YPLL) to 141 (mean per decedent: 11.8), with an annual average of 8.6 YPLL per decedent for the period. However, the proportion of YPLL attributable to young silicosis decedents increased; an estimated 3,600-7,300 new silicosis cases occur annually. Hazard surveillance, workplace-specific interventions, and further silicosis prevention and elimination efforts, especially among young adults, are needed. Erratum. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Aging Dust Longevity Lung Diseases Mortality Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Silicon Dioxide

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• Keywords:
  Silica-dusts; Silicosis; Respiratory-system-disorders; Pulmonary-system-disorders; Lung-disease; Age-factors; Age-groups; Respirable-dust; Mortality-data; Mortality-rates; Lifespan; Occupational-exposure; Surveillance-programs
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195
• 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:
  57
• Issue:
  28
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20034103
• Citation:
  MMWR 2008 Jul; 57(28):771-775
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:04d4b7a444abeb7c444b9ef51d7ba092f3731389e21c7112295171b5398b2269a3ac284f9f6e807527f38535b8e47dda4a99c38e8d7d47997e61b5972c8f7742
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/233730/cdc_233730_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 66.64 KB ]