Demographic, exposure and clinical characteristics in a multinational registry of engineered stone workers with silicosis

ObjectivesTo investigate differences in workplace exposure, demographic and clinical findings in engineered stone (ES) workers from a multinational consortium using the Engineered Stone Silicosis Investigators (ESSI) Global Silicosis Registry.MethodsWith ethics board approval in Israel, Spain, Austr...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England) Vol. 79; no. 9; pp. 586 - 593
Main Authors:	Hua, Jeremy Tang, Zell-Baran, Lauren, Go, Leonard H T, Kramer, Mordechai R, Van Bree, Johanna B, Chambers, Daniel, Deller, David, Newbigin, Katrina, Matula, Michael, Fireman, Elizabeth, Dahbash, Mor, Martinez-Gonzalez, Cristina, León-Jimenez, Antonio, Sack, Coralynn, Ferrer, Jaume, Villar, Ana, Almberg, Kirsten S, Cohen, Robert A, Rose, Cecile S
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01.09.2022 BMJ Publishing Group LTD BMJ Publishing Group
Series:	Original research
Subjects:	Artificial stone Autoimmunity Calcification Comorbidity Composite materials Cross-Sectional Studies Demographics Demography Dust Epidemiology Exposure Fabrication Fibrosis Glass & glassware industry Health surveillance Hospitals Infections Kidney diseases Lung cancer Lung transplants Manufacturing Masonry Occupational exposure Occupational Health Physicians Pneumoconiosis Pulmonary functions Respiratory function Respiratory Function Tests Silica Silicon dioxide Silicosis Smoking Spirometry Surveillance Tuberculosis Variance analysis Workplace Younger workers Queensland Australia United States > US Colorado Israel Australia Tel Aviv Israel Spain Dust Respiratory Function Tests Cross-Sectional Studies Occupational Health Silicosis
ISSN:	1351-0711, 1470-7926, 1470-7926
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	ObjectivesTo investigate differences in workplace exposure, demographic and clinical findings in engineered stone (ES) workers from a multinational consortium using the Engineered Stone Silicosis Investigators (ESSI) Global Silicosis Registry.MethodsWith ethics board approval in Israel, Spain, Australia and the USA, ES workers ages 18+ with a physician diagnosis of work-related silicosis were enrolled. Demographic, occupational, radiologic, pulmonary function and silica-related comorbidity data were compared cross-sectionally among countries using analysis of variance, Fisher’s exact tests and logistic regression.ResultsAmong 169 ES workers with silicosis, most were men, with mean age 51.7 (±11.4) years. Mean work tenure in stone fabrication or masonry was 19.9 (±9.8) years. Different methods of case ascertainment explained some inter-country differences, for example, workers in Queensland, Australia with a state-based surveillance program were likely to be identified earlier and with shorter work tenure. Overall, 32.5% of workers had progressive massive fibrosis, the most severe form of dust-related pneumoconiosis, of whom 18.5% reported ≤10 years of work tenure. Lung function impairment including restriction, reduced diffusion capacity and hypoxaemia was common, as was autoimmunity.ConclusionsFindings from a multinational registry represent a unique effort to compare demographic, exposure and clinical information from ES workers with silicosis, and suggest a substantial emerging population of workers worldwide with severe and irreversible silica-associated diseases. This younger worker population is at high risk for disease progression, multiple comorbidities and severe disability. The ESSI registry provides an ongoing framework for investigating epidemiological trends and developing prospective studies for prevention and treatment of these workers.
Bibliography:	Original research ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 14 content type line 23 RAC and CSR are joint senior authors.
ISSN:	1351-0711 1470-7926 1470-7926
DOI:	10.1136/oemed-2021-108190