title: Cost-Effectiveness of Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis Prevention Based on Its Predicted Incidence within the Datong Coal Mine Group in China.
abstract: We aimed to estimate the economic losses currently caused by coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) and, on the basis of these measurements, confirm the economic benefit of preventive measures. Our cohort study included 1,847 patients with CWP and 43,742 coal workers without CWP who were registered in the employment records of the Datong Coal Mine Group. We calculated the cumulative incidence rate of pneumoconiosis using the life-table method. We used the dose-response relationship between cumulative incidence density and cumulative dust exposure to predict the future trend in the incidence of CWP. We calculate the economic loss caused by CWP and economic effectiveness of CWP prevention by a step-wise model. The cumulative incidence rates of CWP in the tunneling, mining, combining, and helping cohorts were 58.7%, 28.1%, 21.7%, and 4.0%, respectively. The cumulative incidence rates increased gradually with increasing cumulative dust exposure (CDE). We predicted 4,300 new CWP cases, assuming the dust concentrations remained at the levels of 2011. If advanced dustproof equipment was adopted, 537 fewer people would be diagnosed with CWP. In all, losses of 1.207 billion Renminbi (RMB, official currency of China) would be prevented and 4,698.8 healthy life years would be gained. Investments in advanced dustproof equipment would be total 843 million RMB, according to our study; the ratio of investment to restored economic losses was 1:1.43. Controlling workplace dust concentrations is critical to reduce the onset of pneumoconiosis and to achieve economic benefits.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110013, P.R. China; School of Public Health, Hebei United University, Tangshan, Hebei, 063000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Fuhai
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110013, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hongbo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Hebei United University, Tangshan, Hebei, 063000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Juxiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110013, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110013, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Hospital of Datong Coal Mine Group, Datong, Shanxi, 037003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Hebei United University, Tangshan, Hebei, 063000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xueyun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Hospital of Datong Coal Mine Group, Datong, Shanxi, 037003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Hebei United University, Tangshan, Hebei, 063000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Sanqiao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Hospital of Datong Coal Mine Group, Datong, Shanxi, 037003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Suo
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Hebei United University, Tangshan, Hebei, 063000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhiqian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Hebei United University, Tangshan, Hebei, 063000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Hebei United University, Tangshan, Hebei, 063000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhengbing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110013, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D003031:Coal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003032:Coal Mining / Q000379:methods; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004391:Dust; D004651:Employment; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015993:Life Tables; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011009:Pneumoconiosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D003031:Coal; D004391:Dust