This Work-Related Lung Disease (WoRLD) Surveillance Report is the sixth in a series of occupational respiratory disease surveillance reports (see page iv) produced by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). It presents summary tables and figures of occupational respiratory disease surveillance data focusing on various occupationally-relevant respiratory diseases, including pneumoconioses, occupational asthma and other airways diseases, and several other respiratory conditions. For many of these diseases, selected data on related exposures are also presented.
The 2002 WoRLD Surveillance Report has three major sections: (1) a section that provides data highlights and data usage limitations; (2) a section comprised of 15 subsections, each concerning a major disease category and (where available) related occupational exposures, and one subsection concerning smoking status; (3) a section of appendices that provide descriptions of data sources, methods, and other supplementary information.
Similar to the 1999 WoRLD Surveillance Report, this report includes data on hypersensitivity pneumonitis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory conditions due to chemical fumes and vapors, and other work-related respiratory conditions, in addition to the pneumoconioses. This report updates pneumoconiosis mortality data published in the 1999 WoRLD Surveillance Report by the addition of currently available data for 1997 through 1999. Pneumoconiosis conditions highlighted include asbestosis, coal workers' pneumoconiosis, silicosis, byssinosis, and pneumoconioses coded as either "unspecified" or "other," and all pneumoconioses aggregated. The current report presents data on conditions not included in earlier reports (e.g., malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other interstitial pulmonary disease), plus data on smoking status by industry and occupation.
For many of the conditions reported on, the 2002 WoRLD Surveillance Report presents national and state summary statistics such as counts, crude and age-adjusted mortality rates, and years of potential life lost to age 65 and to life expectancy. Proportionate mortality ratios by industry and occupation are based on the most recent decade of data from a subset of states (see state list, Appendix E) for which usual industry and occupation have been coded for decedents. Also presented are U.S. state- and county-level maps showing the geographic distribution of mortality and, for the pneumoconioses, tables and figures summarizing selected occupational exposure data for asbestos, coal mine dust, silica dust, cotton dust, etc. (see agent categories, Appendix F).
Data contained in the 2002 WoRLD Surveillance Report originate from various publications, reports, data files, and tabulations provided by the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (AOEC), the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Department of Labor (DOL), the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), NIOSH, and the Social Security Administration (SSA). Details on the major data sources and on the methods used to compute specific statistics can be found in Appendices A and B, respectively.
Interpreted with appropriate caution, the information contained in this report can help to establish priorities for research and prevention. It is also useful for tracking progress toward the elimination of important preventable occupational respiratory diseases, including those targeted in U.S. Public Health Service Healthy People objectives for the nation.
Comments and suggestions from users of earlier editions of the WoRLD Surveillance Report have influenced the content and format of this 2002 edition. To increase the utility of future editions, comments on the current report, descriptions of how the information is or could be used, and suggestions of other data for inclusion in future reports are invited.
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