Mortality among US underground coal miners: A 23-year follow-up

Journal Article · Sat Mar 15 04:00:00 EDT 2008 · American Journal of Industrial Medicine

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.20560· OSTI ID:21036905

Attfield, M D; Kuempel, E D ^[1]

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1. NIOSH, Morgantown, WV (United States)

The mortality experience over 22-24 years of 8,899 working coal miners initially medically examined in 1969-1971 at 31 U.S. coal mines was evaluated. A cohort life-table analysis was undertaken on underlying causes of death, and proportional hazards models were fitted to both underlying, and underlying and contributing causes of death. Elevated mortality from nonviolent causes, nonmalignant respiratory disease (NMRD), and accidents was observed, but lung cancer and stomach cancer mortality were not elevated. Smoking, pneumoconiosis, coal rank region, and cumulative coal mine dust exposure were all predictors of mortality from nonviolent causes and NMRD. Mortality from nonviolent causes and NMRD was related to dust exposure within the complete cohort and also for the never smoker subgroup. Dust exposure relative risks for mortality were similar for pneumoconiosis, NMRD, and chronic airways obstruction. The findings confirm and enlarge upon previous results showing that exposure to coal mine dust leads to increased mortality, even in the absence of smoking.

• OSTI ID: 21036905
• Journal Information: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, Journal Name: American Journal of Industrial Medicine Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 51; ISSN AJIMD8; ISSN 0271-3586
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
COAL MINERS
DEATH
DUSTS
HEALTH HAZARDS
MORTALITY
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
PNEUMOCONIOSES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
UNDERGROUND MINING
USA