British data on coal miners' pneumoconiosis and relevance to US conditions

Journal Article · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1992 · American Journal of Public Health; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.82.7.978· OSTI ID:5125416

Attfield, M D ^[1]

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1. 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), Journal Name: American Journal of Public Health; (United States) Vol. 82:7; ISSN 0090-0036; ISSN AJHEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
016000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Health & Safety
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
COAL MINERS
COAL MINING
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISEASES
DUSTS
EPIDEMIOLOGY
EUROPE
EVALUATION
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE
MINERS
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
PERSONNEL
PNEUMOCONIOSES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
RISK ASSESSMENT
SAFETY STANDARDS
STANDARDS
UNITED KINGDOM
USA