OBJECTIVETo describe the reported incidence of pneumoconiosis in China in 2010, and to investigate the reasons for increase in the number of new cases.

METHODSDescriptive analysis was performed on the new cases of pneumoconiosis reported by the "Monitoring System of Health Hazard Factors" under "China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention" in China in 2010.

RESULTSA total of 23812 new cases of pneumoconiosis were reported in all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities except Tibet, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as Production and Construction Corps of Xinjiang, increased by 64.28% compared with the number in 2009. There were 12 564 cases of coal-workers' pneumoconiosis and 9870 cases of silicosis, accounting for 94.21% of all new cases. The cases of silicosis were distributed mainly in Sichuan, Liaoning, and Jiangsu, from which 52.21% of all new silicosis cases were reported; most of the cases were in railway, nonferrous metal, and coal industries, and the majority of them were drillers. The cases of coal-workers' pneumoconiosis were distributed mainly in Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Shanxi, and Beijing; most of the cases were in coal industry, and the majority of them were coal-getters. The main reasons for increase in the number of new cases were as follows: increased numbers of reporting agencies and diagnosis agencies, expanded coverage of occupational health surveillance and occupational insurance, closing down and integration of small coal mines, solution of untreated problems, enhanced legal awareness of employers and employees, and investigation into omission of pneumoconiosis case reporting.

CONCLUSIONCoal-workers' pneumoconiosis and silicosis are the most serious occupational diseases in China, and specific measurements for prevention and control should be taken according to the geographic, industrial, and occupational distributions.