RATIONALE Previous studies have shown associations between dust exposure or lung burden and emphysema in coal miners, although the separate contributions of various predictors have not been clearly demonstrated. OBJECTIVES To quantitatively evaluate the relationship between cumulative exposure to respirable coal mine dust, cigarette smoking, and other factors on emphysema severity. METHODS ...

BACKGROUND Despite significant progress made in reducing dust exposures in underground coal miners in the United States, severe cases of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP), including progressive massive fibrosis (PMF), continue to occur among coal miners. AIMS To identify US miners with rapidly progressive CWP and to describe their geographic distribution and associated risk factors. METHOD...

Although underground coal miners are quite susceptible to depressive symptoms due to a highly risky and stressful working environment, few studies have focused on this issue. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and to explore its associated factors in this population. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a coal-mining population in northeast China...

BACKGROUND Coal mine dust exposure causes chronic airflow limitation in coal miners resulting in dyspnea, fatigue, and eventually chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Yoga can alleviate dyspnea in COPD by improving ventilatory mechanics, reducing central neural drive, and partially restoring neuromechanical coupling of the respiratory system. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness ...

Fractionation of the serum proteins by filter-paper electrophoresis in 14 coal-miners who had the characteristic radiological opacities of rheumatoid pneumoconiosis but no evidence of rheumatoid arthritis showed a reduction in the mean level of albumin and increases in the alpha-2 and gamma-globulins compared with the values in non-arthritic miners with simple coal-workers' pneumoconiosis and i...

OBJECTIVES To describe the prevalence of lung function abnormality and coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) by mine size among underground coal miners in Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia. METHODS During 2005-2012, 4491 miners completed spirometry and chest radiography as part of a health surveillance programme. Spirometry was interpreted according to American Thoracic Society and European R...

BACKGROUND It has been suggested that health related job selection is a major cause of the healthy worker effect, and may result in inaccurate estimates of health risks of exposures in the working environment. Improved understanding of self selection, including the role of airway hyperresponsiveness, should improve accuracy in estimating occupational risks. METHODS We evaluated symptoms of th...

Since 1929, when compensation for silicosis first became payable to men in the coal mining industry, the number of disablement cases has increased rapidly, and there has been greater mortality from respiratory disease among coal miners in South Wales than elsewhere in Great Britain. In 1936 the Medical Research Council were asked by the Home Office and the Mines department to investigate the pr...

BACKGROUND Very few studies have evaluated the association between occupational factors and low back pain (LBP) among miners. The epidemiological data on LBP in Chinese miners are limited. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of low back pain in Chinese coal miners and to investigate the role of occupational factors. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was conducted to examine 157...