Source: Annual Congress 2002 - Asbestos and silica
Disease area: Airway diseases

Abstract

Silica exposure is one of the commonest causes of occupational bronchitis and with a high prevalence in South African gold miners, where the silica content of the ore is about 30% and the prevalence of smoking and tuberculosis high. We report the first study of 1237 underground workers from the Ashanti gold mines, the oldest in Ghana, where the silica content is 22%, and the prevalence of smoking low; (current smokers 4.9%, ex-smokers 17.6% and never smokers 77.5%). Sputum smears for AFB in a randomly selected 130 (10.1%) workers were all negative. Workers were studied by questionnaire and spirometry, and measurements of personal respirable dust exposure (range 0.7 to 1.37 mg/m³). The age of the workers ranged from 26 and 60 years (mean=40),and duration of underground employment from 1 to 35 years (mean=12.6). The MRC breathlessness score showed 19.0% without breathlessness (grade 0), grade 1 (49.5%) Grade 2 (10.9%) and Grade 3 or more (20.2%). The overall prevalence of grade 3 breathlessness was 20.2%, with 27.9% in current smokers, 22.5% in ex-smokers and 18.9% in never smokers. The prevalence of chronic bronchitis among the current occupations were: drilling 26.4%, blasting 16.1%, engineering 14.9%, mucking 12.6%, tramming 11.5%, supervisory 6.9%, tipping 5.7% and others 5.7%. The relationship between cummulative underground service and MRC grade 3 breathlessness score showed an initial exposure related increase with a survivor population for high cumulative exposures (14% of workers with 1-5 year service, 6-10 years 12.9%, 11-15 years 19.5%, 16-20 years 27.8%, 21-25 years 22.7%, 26-30 years 36% and 31-35 years 20%).
Conclusion. Chronic bronchitis and breathlessness remain common in lifelong non-smokers exposed to silicious ores, and increases with current and cumulative exposure.

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Citations should be made in the following way:
F. Y. Bio, S. Sadhra, C. Jackson, S. Burge (Dundee, United Kingdom). Chronic bronchitis in Ghanaian gold miners with silica exposure. Eur Respir J 2002; 20: Suppl. 38, 849

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