title: High prevalence of accelerated silicosis among gold miners in Jiangxi, China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Accelerated silicosis has become uncommon in developed countries, whereas serious health threat still exists in small-scale mining in developing countries. This study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of accelerated silicosis among Chinese gold miners.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional medical examination was conducted among 574 Chinese gold miners. All participants were male rock-drillers. The concentrations of total dust and quartz content were obtained from the government documentations. Descriptive data analyses were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of accelerated silicosis was 29.1% (95% CI: 24.8-33.4%, 167 cases) after an average of 5.6 years of dust exposure, and a history of tuberculosis seemed to increase the risk. The concentration of respirable silica dust was estimated to be 89.5 mg/m(3) (ranged: 70.2-108.8) in the underground goldmine, far exceeding the permissible exposure limits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study illustrates a serious health threat to small-scale goldmine in China and indicates an urgent need for environmental control and disease prevention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community & Family Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Lap Ah
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Tse
authors.forename: Zhi Min
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Tze Wai
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Zhen Ming
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Ignatius Tak Sun
authors.initials: IT
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004391:Dust; D017612:Gold Compounds; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008906:Mining; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016272:Occupational Health; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000633:toxicity*; D012829:Silicosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D017612:Gold Compounds; D012822:Silicon Dioxide