NIOSH Safety and Health Topic:Occupational Respiratory Disease Surveillance |
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In light of the observed onset of advanced pneumoconiosis among younger coal miners, and the apparent regional clustering of rapidly progressive cases, NIOSH, in collaboration with MSHA, has developed, staffed, and implemented the ECWHSP. Surveys are being completed that include specifically designed standardized health questionnaires, work histories, spirometry testing,radiographic examinations, and collection of other relevant health information, which are gathered in a specially designed mobile examination unit by trained personnel. Reports of individual health findings are sent to each participant. Coal mineralogy, mining conditions, respirable dust and silica exposure concentrations, mining and dust control strategies, and other relevant data in regions with disease clusters are being collected under a separate NIOSH project entitled, "Dust Control Technology for Black Lung Hot Spots." The results of these NIOSH activities are intended to facilitate preventive actions, through the derivation of representative current estimates of the burden, distribution, and determinants of occupational lung disease in relation to coal mining in the U.S. Survey SummariesThese reports have also been produced as PDFs (PDF index). Survey Summaries by County where the number of miners examined is greater than or equal to 50Alabama Colorado Illinois Kentucky Utah Virginia West Virginia Survey Summaries by StateSurvey Summaries by Set-up Site
Page last updated: August 18, 2008
Page last reviewed: August 18, 2008 Content Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) |
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