researchers suggested that the individual fit test be conducted to estimate the protection effectiveness of workers’ hearing protection device (hpd) while working. practically, it is convenient to conduct single, instead of multiple, fit test measurement. this study examined if a single trial of earplug fit test can represent multiple performances. additionally, it investigated how much noise e...

BACKGROUND Very little is known about the seroepidemiology of infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in miners. We determine the association of T. gondii infection and the occupation of miner, and the association of seropositivity for T. gondii with the socio-demographic, clinical, work and behavioral characteristics of the miners. METHODS Through a case-control study, 125 ...

Risk of Lung Cancer among Japanese Coal Miners on Hazard Risk and Interaction between Smoking and Coal Mining: Motonobu MIYAZAKI, et al. Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Fukuoka University—This article examines whether an association is found between lung cancer and coal mining and also whether a correlation is found between smoking and coal mining that relates...

Two reports published in the Journal present the main results of the Diesel Exhaust in Miners Study (DEMS) (1,2). Although some of the results support the hypothesis that diesel exhaust (DE) exposure increases the risk of lung cancer, some aspects of the results and potential limitations in the DEMS should be taken into consideration in the interpretation of the evidence. In the analysis of con...

BACKGROUND Previous studies have demonstrated that alterations in certain circulating biomarkers may be correlated with Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP). This study investigated the relationship between changes of serum biomarkers and pulmonary function during the development of CWP. METHODS Lung function parameters and specific serum indices were measured in 69 non-smoking coal workers, in...

Increased mortality from cancer of the lung has been found in several studies of miners exposed to high levels of radioactivity in underground air. In view of their exposure to raised levels of radiation, we have studied the mortality of a group of men recorded as Cornish tin miners in 1939. Using occupational description, a crude classification of exposure was derived for these miners. The mea...

In 1950s and 60s, asbestosis had been a major health hazard for asbestos exposed workers. In the late 1970s, lung cancers with or without asbestosis were found among asbestos workers. All cohort studies on asbestos workers and on chrysotile miners in China showed excess deaths from lung cancer. In a large scale of cohort study on asbestos workers, a synergistic effect was found between cigarett...

BACKGROUND Multiple studies have investigated the relationship between asbestos-related pleural plaques (PPs) and lung function, with disparate and inconsistent results. Most use chest radiographs to identify PPs and simple spirometry to measure lung function. High-resolution CT (HRCT) scanning improves the accuracy of PP identification. Complete pulmonary function tests (PFTs), including spiro...

Silicosis is a fibrotic lung disease produced by the inhalation and deposition of silica dust. The association between silicosis and pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) has been well established. Cytokines participate in the development and progression of silicosis and PTB. Functional polymorphisms in cytokine genes have been identified that alter cytokine production. The aims of the current investiga...

Coal roadway driving is an important part of the underground mining system, and very common in Chinese coal mines. However, the high concentration of respirable dust produced in the blasting operation poses a great hazard to miners’ health as well as the underground environment. In this paper, based on the direct simulation Monte Carlo method, the gas–solid two-phase flow model of particle move...