British data on coal miners' pneumoconiosis and relevance to US conditions
- Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV (United States)
The current primary federal dust standard for US underground coal miners of 2 mg/m3 respirable dust is based on British epidemiological information on exposure-response derived in 1969. Since then, much new information has become available. This paper reviews and compares the available information as it relates to the US mining situation. Recent exposure-response information on pneumoconiosis and dust exposure derived by British researchers was employed to estimate working-life risks of pneumoconiosis for miners exposed to 2 mg/m3. It is estimated that close to 9% of underground coal miners who work for 40 years in a 2 mg/m3 environment would develop pneumoconiosis (category 1 or greater). Progressive massive fibrosis would develop in 0.7%. There are unresolved questions relating to the validity of extrapolating findings on British mines and miners to the US and also in predicting disease levels at the low end of the dust exposure spectrum. Given the data available, current information suggests miners who are employed for a working life-time at the current federal dust limit of 2 mg/m3 are still at risk of developing pneumoconiosis.
- OSTI ID:
- 5125416
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Public Health; (United States), Vol. 82:7; ISSN 0090-0036
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
COAL MINERS
PNEUMOCONIOSES
DUSTS
HEALTH HAZARDS
EPIDEMIOLOGY
COAL MINING
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
RISK ASSESSMENT
UNITED KINGDOM
USA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISEASES
EUROPE
EVALUATION
HAZARDS
MINERS
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
PERSONNEL
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
SAFETY STANDARDS
STANDARDS
016000* - Coal
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560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology