Characterization of silica in the lungs of autopsied coal miners. Final report

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6019352

A two-part study was conducted to investigate silica in lungs of coal miners at autopsy. The prevalence of silicosis at death in coal miners in relation to mining and job categories was investigated in the first part. Lung-tissue sections submitted to the National Coal Workers Autopsy Study (NCWAS) for the period 1971 through 1980 were assessed for the presence of silicotic lesions in the pulmonary parenchyma and tracheobronchial lymph nodes. Silicosis usually occurred against a background of coal workers' pneumoconiosis; only 7.2% of lungs without coal workers' pneumoconiosis showed silicosis. Transportation workers showed the highest prevalence of silicosis, while workers primarily engaged in surface activities at underground mines have the lowest prevalence. Geographical area affected the prevalence of silicosis. The number of years spent in underground mining was found to be clearly correlated with prevalence and severity of silicosis. The second part studied the particle-size distributions and number of particles in coal miners' lungs. Particulate burdens were determined for lung specimens from 21 coal miners by scanning electron-microscope-based automated image analysis. Results were compared with those for urban dwellers. In spite of the specimens being chosen to represent a wide range of exposure and medical history, particle-size data were similar.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6019352
• Report Number(s): PB-89-187942/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
016000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Health & Safety
552000 -- Public Health
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
AIR POLLUTION
AUTOPSY
BODY
CHALCOGENIDES
COAL MINERS
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DISEASES
DISTRIBUTION
DOCUMENT TYPES
EPIDEMIOLOGY
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE
LUNGS
MEDICINE
MINERALS
MINERS
MINING
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
ORGANS
OXIDE MINERALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE SIZE
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
PERSONNEL
PNEUMOCONIOSES
POLLUTION
PROGRESS REPORT
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
SILICA
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
SIZE
UNDERGROUND MINING