[Respiratory tract diseases in coal miners. III. Effects of smoking on the rate of chronic respiratory tract diseases in coal miners].
Effects of smoking on the case rate of chronic nonspecific respiratory tract diseases in underground coal miners of two mines "A" and "B" were analysed. Work environment and miners under investigation have been thoroughly described in Part I. Smoking miners from both mines, as examined using the significance test chi 2, did not differ significantly, as regards their age and length of employment. In either mine 73.7% of miners were smokers. In both groups of miners, smoking was found to largely affect health. The chronic nonsepcific respiratory tract diseases were 13 times more frequent in smokers and 11 times in ex-smokers, as compared to non-smokers. In smokers and ex-smokers the case rate of these diseases was found to be directly proportional to the amount of cigarettes smoked daily. The higest percentage of those diseases was found in smokers and ex-smokers smoking more than 25 cigarettes a day. The prevalence of chronic non-specific respiratory tract diseases was not increasing after more than 10 years of smoking. The obturative form of the disease came to about 10% in smokers and ex-smokers from both groups; thus it was 8 times more frequent than among general populations examined. In mine "A" non-smokers, the case rate of the disease was found to be almost twice that of mine "B", which may be indicative of additional factors promoting the development of chronic nonspecific respiratory tract diseases.
D002908:Chronic Disease; D003032:Coal Mining; D006801:Humans; D011044:Poland; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology
Choroby dróg oddechowych u górników wegla kamiennego). CZ. III, Wpływ palenia tytoniu na czestość wystepowania PNChUO u górników wegla kamiennego.