OBJECTIVETo describe the incidence, development and death of pneumoconiosis reported in Hebei from 2001 to 2012 and investigate the epidemiological trends and characteristics of pneumoconiosis to provide basic data for formulating the guidelines and policies for control of pneumoconiosis.

METHODSThe Hebei database of new cases of pneumoconiosis reposed from 2001 to 2012 were subjected to systematic arrangement. Clean data and descriptive analysis using SPSS 17.0. The statistical indices included number of new and death pneumoconiosis cases in each year.

RESULTSFrom 2001 to 2012 a total of 4558 new cases of pneumoconiosis were reported. The situation was same to coal-workers' pneumoconiosis and silicosis. (2) The pneumoconiosis cases were distributed mainly in the city of Tang Shan, Cheng De, Zhang Jia Kou and Han Dan (88.24%). (3) Most cases were centerred in coal industry, metallurgical industry, nonferrous metals industry, architectural material industry and light industry. (4) The mean age of onset in new cases was shorted each year for silicosis, coal-workers' pneumoconiosis, potter pneumoconiosis and electric welder pneumoconiosis, especially for 2010 to 2012 (9 years). (5) The work types of these cases mainly included drilling (26.72%), mining as the main work (6.67%), hybrid coal mine work (6.95%), molding worker (5.24%) and berterring worker (4.82%). (6) The new cases of pneumoconiosis reposed from 2001 to 2012 were diagnosissed I (3415, 74.92%), II (782, 17.16%), III (361, 7.92%). (7) The death cases of pneumoconiosis reposed from 2001 to 2012 were 1182, most of them were distributed mainly in the city of Tang Shan, Cheng De, Zhang Jia Kou and Han Dan (88.24%).

CONCLUSIONThe incidence of pneumoconiosis is still high: the new cases of pneumoconiosis is still rising. The mean age of onset in new cases was shorted each year. The new cases of pneumoconiosis reposed from 2001 to 2012 were diagnosed II was above 25%. The prevention and control of pneumoconiosis should be enhanced in key industries and for people engaging in key regions, industries, types of work according to the epidemiological characteristics of pneumoconiosis. Most cases were centerred in coal-workers' pneumoconiosis and silicosis.

Anthracosis ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Coal Industry ; Humans ; Incidence ; Metallurgy ; Mining ; Pneumoconiosis ; epidemiology ; Silicosis ; epidemiology

Korea has industrialized since the 1970s. Pneumoconiosis in coal miners was the most common occupational disease in the 1970s to 1980s. With the industrialization, the use of many chemicals have increased since the 1970s. As a consequence, there were outbreaks of occupational diseases caused by poisonous chemicals, such as heavy metal poisoning, solvent poisoning and occupational asthma in the late 1980s and early 1990s with civil movement for democracy. Many actions have been taken for prevention by the government, employers and employees or unions. In the 1990s most chemical related diseases and pneumoconiosis have rapidly decreased due to improving work environment. In the late 1990s, cerebro-cardiovascular diseases related to job stress or work overloads have abruptly increased especially after the economic crisis in 1998. After the year 2000, musculoskeletal disorders became a major problem especially in assembly lines in the manufacturing industry and they were expanded to the service industry. Mental diseases related to job stress have increased. Infectious diseases increased in health care workers and afforestation workers. Occupational cancers are increasing because of their long latency, although the use of carcinogenic substances are reduced, limited, and even banned.
Coal Mining ; Employment ; Humans ; Industry ; *Occupational Diseases/economics/epidemiology/psychology ; Occupational Health ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Stress, Psychological/economics/epidemiology/psychology ; Workplace/economics/psychology

Health care management for industrial workers in Korea in terms of occupational health launched in 1953 when the Labour Act was enacted. Nevertheless, negligence of government on reality of workers health was said to be inevitable under the cloak of urgent fast development in way of industrialization. Happily, however, since 1981 when Industrial Safety and Health Law was enacted, periodical evaluation of work environment and physical check-up of workers have been worked out by several professional organizations under the umbrella of Korean Industrial Health Association. In 1986, for about 5,700 industries, a total of 125,000 checks of work environment including the agents of dust, noise, lead, organic solvents, special chemicals, and of others were carried out, and on the other hand, a total of 340,000 physical check-ups were performed in accordance with exposed hazardous agents in the work-lines. The summarized results of the above achievements were as follows. 1. The case detection rates of occupational diseases among workers in industries of Korea has been revealed to be half of Japanese ones since 1975 decreasing from 2.3% in 1975 to 1.7% in 1987. However, it is too hard to believe that the above detection rate which is lower than that of Japan indicates the real prevalence rate of occupational diseases among industrial workers of Korea. It may be underestimated by defects in management of health care system for workers in Korea. 2. A total of 6,942 cases (1.65%) of occupational diseases were detected through 421,019 spells of check-up from 345,780 industrial workers in 1987. Detection rate by industry was highest among coal mines and secondly highest among mines other than coal ones. 3. Detection rate by hazardous agent was highest among workers in relation to dust, and secondly highest to noise. Case detection rate in relation to organic solvent, lead, special chemicals and others was less than 0.1% in total, which is very low comparing with that in Japan. There should be some modification in the check-up management. 4. A total of 32,035 (25.5%) work points was found to be improper showing higher level of hazardous agent than the TLV. Actually, a total of 125,721 work points was evaluated from 5,695 industries. The rate of detecting improper environment was highest among mines other than coal mines. Second highest was in textile manufacturing industries. 5. Noise and dust are the typical agents of which levels in workplace were high in most of industries. Levels of organic solvents, lead, and others were higher than TLV in 9.5-17.0% of samples tested. 6. In relation to noise, the rate of noise level exceeding TLV was higher in mines and textile industries. However, there were less workers of hearing loss in textile industries. 7. In relation to dust, the rate of dust concentration exceeding TLV was higher in non-metal manufacturing industries and mines. However, the majority(92.0%) of pneumoconiosis were detected from workers of mines. Rare cases of pneumoconiosis were detected from workers of textile industries.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Coal ; Delivery of Health Care ; Dust ; Hand ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; Japan ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Malpractice ; Noise ; Occupational Diseases* ; Occupational Health ; Pneumoconiosis ; Prevalence ; Societies ; Solvents ; Textile Industry ; Textiles

The aim of this study was to estimate the association between occupational, environmental, behavioral risk factors, and active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) patients. A matched case-control study was conducted in 86 CWP patients with active PTB and 86 CWP controls without TB. A standardized questionnaire was used for risk factors assessment. Conditioned logistic regression analysis was used to identify associations between the risk factors and active PTB among CWP patients. The results showed that the stage of CWP, poor workplace ventilation, family history of TB, and exposure to TB were independent risk factors for active PTB in patients with CWP with which recommendations for improving work environments, and for case finding activities in patients with CWP could be made.
Anthracosis ; complications ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; Coal Industry ; standards ; Dust ; analysis ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Occupational Diseases ; complications ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Occupational Exposure ; analysis ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Workplace ; standards