Prevalence of Reduced Mid-Expiratory Flow Among Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program Participants

Details

• Journal Article:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Personal Author:
  Kurth, Laura M. ; Hall, Noemi B. ; Ansell, Brian ; Laney, A. Scott ; Blackley, David J.
• Description:
  Background: Small airways disease is a risk factor for the development of obstructive lung disease and may be present among coal miners without obstructive ventilatory impairment. Our study estimated the prevalence of reduced spirometric mid-expiratory flow among coal miners without obstructive ventilatory impairment. Methods: Data were from coal miners participating in the Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program (CWHSP) during 2014-2022 with forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) meeting quality criteria and no missing spirometry parameter values. We defined low forced expiratory flow at 25%-75% (FEF25%-75%) as < 65% predicted. Results: The prevalence of FEF25%-75% < 65% predicted among miners without obstructive ventilatory impairment was 7.1% overall, 10.7% among retired miners, and 16.8% among miners with radiographic evidence of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP). Conclusions: Among miners without obstructive ventilatory impairment, reduced mid-expiratory flow was more prevalent in older miners with longer tenure, specifically retired miners. From a surveillance perspective, reduced spirometric mid-expiratory flow can be an early indicator of more serious health problems in coal miners, including obstructive lung disease.
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Lung Lung Diseases Mining Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Coal Miners; Obstruction; Small Airways Disease; Spirometric Mid-expiratory Flow; Spirometry Lung Function; Airway Obstruction; Lung Disease; Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program; CWHSP; Coal Miners; Spirometry; Respiratory Health;
• Source:
  Am J Ind Med 2025 Nov; 68(11):1028-1033
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  West Virginia ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  6 pdf pages
• Volume:
  68
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071287
• Contact Point Address:
  Laura Kurth, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Surveillance Branch, Respiratory Health Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
• Email:
  lkurth@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:042f01529543ccffcdcb7f1e14b6d499e76e961ba76befff1a22c7320b73266282ecdcd15967cb373e84557bb68f24abf781ac78067ad672fa5d1976f9439d30
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/258764/cdc_258764_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 330.76 KB ]