瓷厂与锡矿及钨矿石英粉尘表面铝硅酸盐包裹的测定和分析

目的 探讨石英粉尘表面铝硅酸盐包裹的测定方法和包裹对粉尘致病作用的影响.方法 应用呼吸性粉尘采样器以2 L/min采集江西钨矿、瓷厂和广西锡矿粉尘,用扫描电镜-能散X线分光计（SEM-EDS）以5 keV和20 keV电压照射测定呼吸性粉尘颗粒中各元素成分的含量,计算不同电子伏特照射下粉尘颗粒中硅与铝的比值.结果 7个瓷厂、3个锡矿和3个钨矿的47个粉尘样本共计3 982个粉尘颗粒,瓷厂样本的89%（24/27）与锡矿样本的27%（3/11）和钨矿样本的56%（5/9）存在明确的铝硅酸盐包裹,与对照样本比较,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.01）.瓷厂粉尘颗粒的45%、锡矿的18%和钨矿的13%存在表面铝硅酸盐包裹.瓷厂粉尘与钨矿和锡矿粉尘表面铝硅酸盐含量的差异有统计学意义（P＜0.01）,高铝硅酸盐含量的粉尘颗粒在瓷厂、锡矿和钨矿样本中的比率分别为22%、7%和10%.结论 瓷厂工作场所粉尘颗粒表面夹杂铝硅酸盐含量高于钨矿和锡矿的粉尘,粉尘颗粒表面成分的分析对解释不同厂矿尘肺发病的差异有一定作用.     

Risk of silicosis in cohorts of Chinese tin and tungsten miners, and pottery workers (I): an epidemiological study

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological evaluations of the risk of silicosis in relation to exposure to crystalline silica have raised the question of whether different types of silica dust exposures vary with respect to their ability to cause silicosis. The aim of this study is to compare the risk of silicosis among cohorts of silica dust-exposed Chinese tin miners, tungsten miners, and pottery workers and to assess whether gravimetric measurements of respirable silica dust sufficiently determine the risk of silicosis or whether other factors of exposure may play a significant role. METHODS: Cohorts were selected from 20 Chinese mines and potteries. Inclusion criteria were starting employment after January 1, 1950 and being employed for at least 1 year during 1960-1974 in one of the selected workplaces. Radiological follow-up for silicosis onset was from January 1, 1950 through December 31, 1994. Silicosis was assessed according to the Chinese radiological criteria for diagnosis of pneumoconiosis (as suspect, Stage I, II, or III). Exposure-response relationships were estimated for silicosis of Stage I or higher. Silica dust exposure was estimated in terms of cumulative total dust exposure, calculated from a workplace, job title, and calendar year exposure matrix, and individual occupational histories. Cumulative total dust exposure was converted in two steps into cumulative respirable dust exposure and cumulative respirable silica dust exposure using conversion factors estimated from side-by-side measurements conducted in 1988-89. RESULTS: The male cohorts included 4,028 tin miners, 14,427 tungsten miners, and 4,547 pottery workers who had similar onset of employment and duration of follow-up. For a given exposure level, the risk of silicosis was higher for the tin and tungsten than the pottery workers. CONCLUSION: The observed differences in the risk of silicosis among the three cohorts suggest that silica dust characteristics, in addition to cumulative respirable silica dust exposure, may affect the risk of silicosis.     

Lung cancer risk, silica exposure, and silicosis in Chinese mines and pottery factories: the modifying role of other workplace lung carcinogens.

BACKGROUND: Aims of our study were to explore whether and to what extent exposure to other lung carcinogens, or staging and clinical features of silicosis modify or confound the association between silica and lung cancer. METHODS: We used data from a nested case-control study, conducted in the late 1980s in 29 Chinese mines and potteries (10 tungsten mines, 6 copper and iron mines, 4 tin mines, 8 pottery factories, and 1 clay mine), that included 316 lung cancer cases and 1,356 controls, matched by decade of birth and facility type. The previous analysis of these data presented results by type of mine or factory. RESULTS: In our study, pooling all 29 Chinese work sites, lung cancer risk showed a modest association with silica exposure. Risk did not vary after excluding subjects with silicosis or adjusting the risk estimates by radiological staging of silicosis. Strong correlation among exposures prevented a detailed evaluation of the role of individual exposures. However, lung cancer risk was for the most part absent when concomitant exposure to other workplace lung carcinogens, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nickel or radon-daughters, was considered. The cross classification of lung cancer risk by categories of exposure to respirable silica and total respirable dust did not show an independent effect of total respirable dust. Silicosis showed a modest association with lung cancer, which did not vary by severity of radiological staging, or by radiological evidence of disease progression, or by level of silica exposure. However, among silicotic subjects, lung cancer risk was significantly elevated only when exposure to cadmium and PAH had occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that, among silica-exposed Chinese workers, numerous occupational and non-occupational risk factors interact in a complex fashion to modify lung cancer risk. Future epidemiological studies on silica and lung cancer should incorporate detailed information on exposure to other workplace lung carcinogens, total respirable dust, and on surface size and age of silica particles to understand whether and to what extent they affect the carcinogenic potential of silica.     

Indirect validation of a retrospective method of exposure assessment used in a nested case-control study of lung cancer and silica exposure.

Validations of retrospective methods of assessment used in occupational epidemiological studies have rarely been published. This study is an indirect validation of a quantitative retrospective assessment of exposure to silica used in a nested case-control study of lung cancer among workers at 29 metal mines and pottery factories in China. Indices of cumulative total dust and cumulative respirable dust were calculated by merging work histories with the historical exposure profile for each subject. To validate indirectly the methods of exposure assessment used in the study of lung cancer, trends for exposure response relation between the two indices of exposure to silica and risk of silicosis were evaluated with 376 patients with silicosis from the study population as the cases, and 1262 controls without silicosis for comparison. Age adjusted odds ratios (ORs) as a measure of risk of silicosis showed striking trends with both indices of exposure to silica. For cumulative respirable dust, the OR (95% confidence interval) rose from 7.6 (5.1-11.4) for low exposure to 20.0 (13.2-30.6) for medium exposure, and to 51.7 (31.0-86.8) for high exposure. The strength of the association between exposure to silica and risk of silicosis suggests that the retrospective assessment of exposure used in the case-control study of lung cancer would accurately reflect an exposure response relation between silica and lung cancer, if it existed.     

Estimating historical respirable crystalline silica exposures for Chinese pottery workers and iron/copper, tin, and tungsten miners.

Collaborative studies of Chinese workers, using over four decades of dust monitoring data, are being conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Tongji Medical University in China. The goal of these projects is to establish exposure-response relationships for the development of diseases such as silicosis or lung cancer in cohorts of pottery and mine workers. It is necessary to convert Chinese dust measurements to respirable silica measurements in order to make results from the Chinese data comparable to other results in the literature.This article describes the development of conversion factors and estimates of historical respirable crystalline silica exposure for Chinese workers. Ambient total dust concentrations (n>17000) and crystalline silica concentrations (n=347) in bulk dust were first gathered from historical industrial hygiene records. Analysis of the silica content in historical bulk samples revealed no trend from 1950 up to the present. During 1988-1989, side-by-side airborne dust samples (n=143 pairs) were collected using nylon cyclones and traditional Chinese samplers in 20 metal mines and nine pottery factories in China. These data were used to establish conversion factors between respirable crystalline silica concentrations and Chinese total dust concentrations. Based on the analysis of the available evidence, conversion factors derived from the 1988-1989 sampling campaign are assumed to apply to other time periods in this paper. The conversion factors were estimated to be 0.0143 for iron/copper, 0.0355 for pottery factories, 0.0429 for tin mines, and 0.0861 for tungsten mines. Conversion factors for individual facilities within each industry were also calculated. Analysis of variance revealed that mean conversion factors are significantly different among facilities within the iron/copper industry and within the pottery industry. The relative merits of using facility-specific conversion factors, industry-wide conversion factors, or a weighted average of the two are discussed. The exposure matrix of the historical Chinese total dust concentrations was multiplied by these conversion factors to obtain an exposure matrix of historical respirable crystalline silica concentrations.     

Change of exposure response over time and long-term risk of silicosis among a cohort of Chinese pottery workers

An analysis was conducted on a cohort of Chinese pottery workers to estimate the exposure-response relationship between respirable crystalline silica dust exposure and the incidence of radiographically diagnosed silicosis, and to estimate the long-term risk of developing silicosis until the age of 65. The cohort comprised 3,250 employees with a median follow-up duration of around 37 years. Incident cases of silicosis were identified via silicosis registries (Chinese X-ray stage I, similar to International Labor Organisation classification scheme profusion category 1/1). Individual exposure to respirable crystalline silica dust was estimated based on over 100,000 historical dust measurements. The association between dust exposure, incidence and long-time risk of silicosis was quantified by Poisson regression analysis adjusted for age and smoking. The risk of silicosis depended not only on the cumulative respirable crystalline silica dust exposures, but also on the time-dependent respirable crystalline silica dust exposure pattern (long-term average concentration, highest annual concentration ever experienced and time since first exposure). A long-term "excess" risk of silicosis of approximately 1.5/1,000 was estimated among workers with all annual respirable crystalline silica dust concentration estimates less than 0.1 mg/m(3), using the German measurement strategy. This study indicates the importance of proper consideration of exposure information in risk quantification in epidemiological studies.     

Exposure to silica and silicosis among tin miners in China: exposure-response analyses and risk assessment

OBJECTIVES—To investigate the risk of silicosis among tin miners and to investigate the relation between silicosis and cumulative exposure to dust (Chinese total dust and respirable crystalline silica dust).
METHODS—A cohort study of 3010 miners exposed to silica dust and employed for at least 1 year during 1960-5 in any of four Chinese tin mines was conducted. Historical total dust data from China were used to create a job exposure matrix for facility, job title, and calendar year. The total dust exposure data from China were converted to estimates of exposure to respirable crystalline silica for comparison with findings from other epidemiological studies of silicosis. Each worker''s work history was abstracted from the complete employment records in mine files. Diagnoses of silicosis were based on 1986 Chinese pneumoconiosis Roentgen diagnostic criteria, which classified silicosis as stages I-III—similar to an International Labour Organisation (ILO) classification of 1/1 or greater.
RESULTS—There were 1015 (33.7%) miners identified with silicosis, who had a mean age of 48.3 years, with a mean of 21.3 years after first exposure (equivalent to 11.0 net years in a dusty job). Among those who had silicosis, 684 miners (67.4%) developed silicosis after exposure ended (a mean of 3.7 years after). The risk of silicosis was strongly related to cumulative exposure to silica dust and was well fitted by the Weibull distribution, with the risk of silicosis less than 0.1% when the Chinese measure of cumulative exposure to total dust (CTD) was under 10 mg/m³-years (or 0.36 mg/m³-years of respirable crystalline silica), increasing to 68.7% when CTD exposure was 150 mg/m³-years (or 5.4 mg/m³-years of respirable crystalline silica). Latency period was not correlated to the risk of silicosis or cumulative dose of exposure. This study predicts about a 36% cumulative risk of silicosis for a 45 year lifetime exposure to these tin mine dusts at the CTD exposure standard of 2 mg/m³, and a 55% risk at 45 years exposure to the current United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Mine Safety and Health Administration standards of 0.1 mg/m³ 100% respirable crystalline silica dust.
CONCLUSIONS—A clear exposure-response relation was detected for silicosis in Chinese tin miners. The study results were similar to most, but not all, findings from other large scale exposure-response studies.


     

Relation between exposure to respirable silica dust and silicosis in a tungsten mine in China.

To estimate the quantitative relation between exposure to respirable silica dust and risk of an attack of silicosis, 1151 workers exposed to silica dust and employed from 1958 to 1987 in a tungsten mine in China were investigated. The results showed that the ratio of respirable silica dust concentration to total silica dust concentration was 0.529. Then, the total silica dust concentration in historical surveillance and monitoring data was converted to respirable silica dust concentration. The free silica content in respirable dust determined by x ray diffraction averaged 24.7%. Multiple logistic regression was used for the dichotomous dependent variables (presence or absence of silicosis). The independent variables in the multiple logistic regression with presence of silicosis as the dependent variable were age when first exposed, tuberculosis (presence or absence), and cumulative exposure to respirable silica dust. The partial regression coefficient of individual cumulative exposure was estimated as 0.079. It implied a positive association between exposure to respirable silica dust and risk of an attack of silicosis. The exposure limit for respirable silica dust was estimated as 0.24 mg/m3 under given conditions.     

Relation between exposure to respirable silica dust and silicosis in a tungsten mine in China.

To estimate the quantitative relation between exposure to respirable silica dust and risk of an attack of silicosis, 1151 workers exposed to silica dust and employed from 1958 to 1987 in a tungsten mine in China were investigated. The results showed that the ratio of respirable silica dust concentration to total silica dust concentration was 0.529. Then, the total silica dust concentration in historical surveillance and monitoring data was converted to respirable silica dust concentration. The free silica content in respirable dust determined by x ray diffraction averaged 24.7%. Multiple logistic regression was used for the dichotomous dependent variables (presence or absence of silicosis). The independent variables in the multiple logistic regression with presence of silicosis as the dependent variable were age when first exposed, tuberculosis (presence or absence), and cumulative exposure to respirable silica dust. The partial regression coefficient of individual cumulative exposure was estimated as 0.079. It implied a positive association between exposure to respirable silica dust and risk of an attack of silicosis. The exposure limit for respirable silica dust was estimated as 0.24 mg/m3 under given conditions.     

广西锡矿矿尘致矽肺的危险度评价

目的　探索锡矿矿尘的致病强度和最低无害作用水平。方法　选择广西锡矿 1 960～1 974年期间接触矿尘至少 1年的男性矿工 4 471名建立回顾性接尘队列 ,并用以同一方法建立的瓷厂接尘队列与其进行比较 ;采用SAS中的生存检验分析软件进行非参数估算 ,评价锡矿矿尘致矽肺的危险度。结果　随访到 1 994年底 ,锡矿队列工人矽肺发病 971例 (2 1 .7% ) ,其中 81 %的病例为 1 958年前接尘对象 ,累积接触总粉尘量 (CTD)与矽肺危险度明显相关 :当CTD <50mg·m- 3·年 - 1 时 ,矽肺危险度为 0 .0 1 2 ;CTD >40 0mg·m- 3·年 - 1 时 ,矽肺危险度上升到 0 .971。瓷厂接尘工人CTD >40 0mg·m- 3·年 - 1 时 ,矽肺危险度仅为 0 .369。结论　锡矿接触矿尘工人的矽肺发病与CTD明显相关 ;锡矿矿尘导致矽肺的危险性远比瓷厂的陶瓷尘严重     

Estimating factors to convert Chinese 'Total Dust' measurements to ACGIH respirable concentrations in metal mines and pottery industries

Historical data on the dust exposures of Chinese workers in metal mines (iron/copper, tin, tungsten) and pottery industries are being used in an ongoing joint Chinese/United States epidemiological study to investigate the exposure-response relationship for the development of silicosis, lung cancer, and other diseases. The historical data include 'total dust' concentrations determined by a Chinese method. Information about particle size distribution and the chemical and mineralogical content of airborne particles is generally not available. In addition, the historical Chinese sampling strategy is different from a typical American eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA) sampling strategy, because the Chinese samples were collected for approximately 15 minutes during production so the sample could be compared to their maximum allowable concentration (MAC) standard. Therefore, in order to assess American respirable dust exposure standards in light of the Chinese experience, factors are needed to convert historical Chinese total dust concentrations to respirable dust concentrations. As a part of the joint study to estimate the conversion factors, airborne dust samples were collected in 20 metal mines and 9 pottery factories in China during 1988 and 1989 using three different samplers: 10mm nylon cyclones, multi-stage 'cassette' impactors, and the traditional Chinese total dust samplers. More than 100 samples were collected and analysed for each of the three samplers. The study yielded two different estimates of the conversion factor from the Chinese total dust concentrations (measured during production processes) to respirable dust concentrations. The multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) reveals that, with a fixed sampling/analysis method, conversion factors were not statistically different among the different job titles within each industry. It also indicates that conversion factors among the industries were not statistically different. However, the two estimates consistently showed that conversion factors were the lowest in the pottery industry. Average conversion factors were then calculated for each of the estimates across the industries studied. A pooled mean conversion factor, 0.25+/-0.04, was then derived for all the job titles and industries. Respirable dust levels were estimated from the historical 'total dust' concentrations collected between 1952 and 1992 by adopting the American standard.     

Estimating historical exposure to silica among mine and pottery workers in the people's Republic of China

A quantitative retrospective exposure assessment method was developed for use in a nested case-control study of lung cancer among mine and pottery workers exposed to silica dust in the People's Republic of China. Exposure assessment was carried out in 20 mines (10 tungsten, 6 iron/copper, and 4 tin) and nine pottery factories. A job title dictionary was developed and used in both the collection of historical exposure information and work histories of 1,668 (316 cases and 1,352 controls) study subjects. Several data abstraction forms were developed to collect historical and current exposure information and employees' work histories, starting in 1950. A retrospective exposure matrix was developed on the basis of facility/job title/calendar year combinations using available historical exposure information and current exposure profiles. Information on the amount of respirable, thoracic, and free silica content in total dust was used in estimating exposure to silica. Starting in 1950, 6,805 historical estimates had been carried out for 14 calendar-year periods. We estimated the average total dust concentration to be 9 mg/M³, with a range from 28 mg/M³ in earlier years to 3 mg/M³ in recent years. Several exposure indices [such as cumulative dust, average dust, cumulative respirable (<5 μ in particle size) and thoracic (<10 μ in particle size) silica dust, average respirable and thoracic silica dust, exposure-weighted duration, and the highest/longest exposure] were calculated for individuals by merging work history and historical exposure matrix for each study subject. We developed these various measures of exposure to allow investigators to compare and contrast different indices of historical exposure to silica. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

1 This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

     

金属矿山和瓷厂的粉尘及有害因素

本文为研究金属矿工和瓷厂作业工人的肺癌病因,对4类金属矿(钨、锡,铜、铁)和9个瓷厂作业环境的粉尘,30种化学元素、放射性氡子体、γ射线和17种多环芳烃(PAH)等有害因素作了现场测定,并对各厂矿的历史测尘资料进行了整理分析。结果发现粉尘浓度早期以钨矿为最高。自70年代开始,钨矿降为最低。但游离SiO_2含量以钨矿最高,瓷厂次之,铁矿最低。瓷厂粉尘分散度比矿尘低。元素结果表明,砷、镉以锡矿最高:铁、镍以铁矿最高,这些被认为致癌物和可疑致癌物元素,可能成为矿工的致癌因素之一。井下氡子体仅铜矿超标,故铜矿工肺癌高发可能受氡暴露的影响。PAH 以井下使用柴油铲运机的锡矿、铜矿、铁矿为最高。但因其接触时间不长,其致癌作用还需进一步观察。     

A nested case-control study of lung cancer among silica exposed workers in China.

In an attempt to assess whether silica induces lung cancer, a nested case-control study of 316 male lung cancer cases and 1352 controls was carried out among pottery workers and tungsten, copper-iron, and tin miners from five provinces in south central China. Exposure to dust and silica for each study subject was evaluated quantitatively by cumulative exposure measures based on historical industrial hygiene records. Measurements on confounders such as inorganic arsenic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and radon were also collected from the worksites. Information on cigarette smoking was obtained by interviews of the subjects or their next of kin. A significant trend of increasing risk of lung cancer with exposure to silica was found for tin miners, but not for miners working in tungsten or copper-iron mines. Concomitant and highly correlated exposures to arsenic and PAHs among tin miners were also found. Risk of lung cancer among pottery workers was related to exposure to silica, although the dose-response gradient was not significant. Risks of lung cancer were significantly increased among silicotic subjects in iron-copper and tin mines, but not in pottery factories or tungsten mines. The results of this study provide only limited support for an aetiological association between silica and lung cancer.     

A nested case-control study of lung cancer among silica exposed workers in China.

In an attempt to assess whether silica induces lung cancer, a nested case-control study of 316 male lung cancer cases and 1352 controls was carried out among pottery workers and tungsten, copper-iron, and tin miners from five provinces in south central China. Exposure to dust and silica for each study subject was evaluated quantitatively by cumulative exposure measures based on historical industrial hygiene records. Measurements on confounders such as inorganic arsenic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and radon were also collected from the worksites. Information on cigarette smoking was obtained by interviews of the subjects or their next of kin. A significant trend of increasing risk of lung cancer with exposure to silica was found for tin miners, but not for miners working in tungsten or copper-iron mines. Concomitant and highly correlated exposures to arsenic and PAHs among tin miners were also found. Risk of lung cancer among pottery workers was related to exposure to silica, although the dose-response gradient was not significant. Risks of lung cancer were significantly increased among silicotic subjects in iron-copper and tin mines, but not in pottery factories or tungsten mines. The results of this study provide only limited support for an aetiological association between silica and lung cancer.     

瓷厂和钨矿生产性粉尘生物学效应的研究

目的 通过体外细胞实验测定瓷厂和钨矿作业点生产性粉尘的毒性等生物学效应,为评价粉尘的危害作用提供依据.方法 以豚鼠的肺泡巨噬细胞(AM)为作用细胞,以标准石英作为对照,应用肺泡灌洗的方法获得AM后,加入15、30、60、120μg/106个细胞浓度标准石英、瓷厂及钨矿作业点的呼吸性粉尘颗粒培养,测定细胞的乳酸脱氢酶(LDH)活力、细胞活力(MTT)、活性氧释放量和肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)的释放量.结果 瓷厂和钨矿的生产性粉尘均能诱导豚鼠AM培养液中LDH活力升高,诱导豚鼠AM释放活性氧和TNF-α量升高,并随粉尘浓度升高呈现明显的剂量一反应关系.瓷厂和钨矿粉尘与豚鼠AM共培养后导致AM活力下降,随着生产性粉尘的浓度增加而降低.钨矿粉尘引起LDH活力升高以及诱导豚鼠AM释放TNF-α能力强于瓷厂粉尘,在120μg/106个细胞浓度组,赣州钨矿粉尘诱导的TNF-α水平为(5.2±2.0)ng/ml,景德镇瓷厂粉尘诱导的TNF-α水平为(3.3±1.6)ng/ml,均高于标准石英(2.8±0.5)ng/ml.与钨矿尘肺患病和死亡率均高于瓷厂相印证.结论 不同来源的生产性粉尘具有不同的生物学效应结果,实验测定粉尘的生物学效应为区分生产性粉尘危害作用提供了基础数据.     

锡矿粉尘生物学活性与致病能力的关系

目的 通过体外细胞实验评价锡矿含石英粉尘的生物特性和毒性,并与接尘工人尘肺和肺癌等疾病发生进行比较.方法 选择鼠肺巨噬细胞为靶细胞,分别测定4个锡矿的呼吸性粉尘样本作用于靶细胞后,葡萄糖苷酸酶、乳酸脱氢酶、过氧化氢以及活性氧自由基（ROS）和肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）的释放.以标准石英（DQ12）和氧化铝作为对照.矿工人群流行病学研究为回顾前瞻性队列研究.结果 流行病学研究显示,锡矿接尘工人的尘肺标化死亡比（SMR）高达49.7（95%CI：39.5～61.8）,肿瘤（SMR=1.58,95%CI：1.39～1.76）和肺癌死亡率（SMR=3.17,95%CI：2.59～3.76）高于全国平均水平.锡矿粉尘的细胞毒性与细胞功能损伤作用高于氧化铝而低于石英,其诱导的ROS水平明显高于氧化铝和石英,此外,粉尘样本还导致TNF-α分泌升高,超过或接近纯石英粉尘的作用.结论 现场粉尘体外细胞实验结果能较好地解释人群流行病学调查的趋势,粉尘的体外毒性测定可能具有筛检现场粉尘危害的作用.     

Silica exposure and silicosis among Ontario hardrock miners: II. Exposure estimates

An epidemiological investigation was carried out to determine the relationship between silicosis in hardrock miners in Ontario and cumulative exposure to silica (free crystalline silica--alpha quartz) dust. This second report describes a side-by-side air-sampling program used to derive a konimeter/gravimetric silica conversion curve. A total of 2,360 filter samples and 90,000 konimeter samples were taken over 2 years in two mines representing the ore types gold and uranium, both in existing conditions as well as in an experimental stope in which dry drilling was used to simulate the high dust conditions of the past. The method of calculating cumulative respirable silica exposure indices for each miner is reported.     

Respirable Dust and Respirable Silica Exposure in Ontario Gold Mines

A comprehensive survey of respirable dust and respirable silica in Ontario gold mines was conducted by the Ontario Ministry of Labor during 1978–1979. The aim was to assess the feasibility of introducing gravimetric sampling to replace the assessment method which used konimeters, a device which gave results in terms of number of particles per cubic centimeter (ppcc) of air. The study involved both laboratory and field assessments. The field assessment involved measurement of airborne respirable dust and respirable silica at all eight operating gold mines of the time. This article describes the details of the field assessment. A total of 288 long-term (7–8 hr) personal respirable dust air samples were collected from seven occupational categories in eight gold mines. The respirable silica (α-quartz) was determined by x-ray diffraction method. The results show that during 1978–1979, the industry wide mean respirable dust was about 1 mg/m³, and the mean respirable silica was 0.08 mg/m^3.The mean% silica in respirable dust was 7.5%. The data set would be useful in future epidemiological and health studies, as well as in assessment of workers’ compensation claims for occupational diseases such as silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and autoimmune diseases such as renal disease and rheumatoid arthritis.     

Nested case-control study of lung cancer in four Chinese tin mines

Objectives: To evaluate the relation between occupational dust exposure and lung cancer in tin mines. This is an update of a previous study of miners with high exposure to dust at four tin mines in southern China.

Methods: A nested case-control study of 130 male lung cancer cases and 627 controls was initiated from a cohort study of 7855 subjects employed at least 1 year between 1972 and 1974 in four tin mines in China. Three of the tin mines were in Dachang and one was in Limu. Cumulative total exposure to dust and cumulative exposure to arsenic were calculated for each person based on industrial hygiene records. Measurements of arsenic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and radon in the work sites were also evaluated. Odds ratios (ORs), standard statistic analysis and logistic regression were used for analyses.

Results: Increased risk of lung cancer was related to cumulative exposure to dust, duration of exposure, cumulative exposure to arsenic, and tobacco smoking. The risk ratios for low, medium, and high cumulative exposure to dust were 2.1 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.1 to 3.8), 1.7 (95% CI 0.9 to 3.1), and 2.8 (95% CI 1.6 to 5.0) respectively after adjustment for smoking. The risk for lung cancer among workers with short, medium, and long exposure to dust were 1.9 (95% CI 1.0 to 3.5), 2.3 (95% CI 1.3 to 4.1), and 2.3 (95% CI 1.2 to 4.2) respectively after adjusting for smoking. Several sets of risk factors for lung cancer were compared, and the best predictive model included tobacco smoking (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.4) and cumulative exposure to arsenic (ORs for different groups from low to high exposure were 2.1 (95% CI 1.1 to 3.9); 2.1 (95% CI 1.1 to 3.9); 1.8 (95% CI 1.0 to 3.6); and 3.6 (95% CI 1.8 5 to 7.3)). No excess of lung cancer was found among silicotic subjects in the Limu tin mine although there was a high prevelance of silicosis. Exposures to radon were low in the four tin mines and no carcinogenic PAHs were detected.

Conclusions: These findings provide little support for the hypothesis that respirable crystalline silica induces lung cancer. Ore dust in work sites acts as a carrier, the exposure to arsenic and tobacco smoking play a more important part in carcinogenesis of lung cancer in tin miners. Silicosis seems not to be related to the increased risk of lung cancer.