title: Study of early appearance of skin lesions in coal gasification workers.
abstract: A retrospective cohort morbidity study was conducted among workers employed at the Kosovo coal gasification plant and a reference population of open-pit lignite miners. The aim was to determine the rate of early skin cancer and pre-cancerous skin lesions. In 15 years of commercial operation of the coal gasification plant, seven workers were diagnosed with benign skin tumors, six with pre-cancerous skin diseases, but none with skin cancer. The lesions were significantly fewer than were reported earlier over a shorter time period and in a smaller population at a coal hydrogenation plant. Compared to the reference population who received medical care in the same clinic, gasification workers had a lower skin cancer rate, but a higher rate of benign skin tumors and potentially pre-cancerous skin diseases.
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, Electro-Economy Kosovo, Pristina, Yugoslavia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Begraca
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ukmata
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Canhasi
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Haxhiu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003031:Coal; D003032:Coal Mining; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D003031:Coal