Prevalence of pneumonoconiosis among coal and heavy metal miners in Zimbabwe |
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Authors: | M R Cullen R S Baloyi |
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Affiliation: | Yale New Haven Occupational Medicine Program, Yale University School of Medicine, Connecticut 06510. |
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Abstract: | No prevalence data on pneumonoconiosis among Zimbabwe's 30,000 miners have been available. Passage of a 1984 law requiring examination of all miners has provided a data base to assess this, but the records had not been previously evaluated or stored in a manner to facilitate this. In 1988 we developed a strategy to utilize the existing records to estimate cross-sectional rates rapidly. In this report, we describe the approach and demonstrate high rates of simple pneumonoconiosis among long-term workers in the coal, nickel, copper, and gold mines. These data, though limited, provide a rationale for more detailed investigations in these workforces and an impetus to establish an ongoing surveillance plan for the nation's miners. |
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