High prevalence of accelerated silicosis among gold miners in Jiangxi, China.
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.
Tse
Lap Ah
LA
Department of Community & Family Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Li
Zhi Min
ZM
Wong
Tze Wai
TW
Fu
Zhen Ming
ZM
Yu
Ignatius Tak Sun
IT
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
D004391:Dust; D017612:Gold Compounds; D012822:Silicon Dioxide