Warrell D A, Harrison B D, Fawcett I W, Mohammed Y, Mohammed W S, Pope H M, Watkins B J
Thorax. 1975 Aug;30(4):389-98. doi: 10.1136/thx.30.4.389.
Many of the grindstones used in Nigerian homes are quarried from sandstone in a small group of villages near Kano in the extreme north of the country. Of an unselected group of 126 stonecutters from two of these villages 49 were found to have radiographic evidence of silicosis, with progressive massive fibrosis in 17. Those with silicosis had worked longer in the quarries than 77 whose radiographs showed no evidence of silicosis. Sixty-three per cent of the silicotics had respiratory symptoms, the commonest being breathlessness on moderate exertion. Cough was the earliest symptom in 42%. Only 35% had abnormal physical signs in the cardiorespiratory system, 18% had clearly reduced ventilatory capacity, and airways obstruction was evident in 16%. The prevalence of silicosis in these open-cast sandstone quarriers is unexpectedly high. This is probably explained by the intensity of exposure and the particular kind of sandstone being worked. Reduction of dust exposure in these quarries raises severe practical problems, but the inhabitants of this drought-ridden area can scarcely be expected to abandon their traditional livelihood.
尼日利亚家庭使用的许多磨盘是从该国最北部卡诺附近一小群村庄的砂岩中开采出来的。在来自其中两个村庄的126名未经过挑选的石匠中，发现49人有矽肺的影像学证据，其中17人有进行性大块纤维化。患有矽肺的人在采石场工作的时间比77名胸片无矽肺证据的人更长。63%的矽肺患者有呼吸道症状，最常见的是中度劳累时呼吸困难。42%的患者最早出现的症状是咳嗽。只有35%的患者心肺系统有异常体征，18%的患者通气能力明显下降，16%的患者有气道阻塞。这些露天砂岩采石工人中矽肺的患病率出乎意料地高。这可能是由于接触强度和所开采的特定种类砂岩所致。减少这些采石场的粉尘接触会引发严重的实际问题，但几乎不能指望这个饱受旱灾地区的居民放弃他们的传统生计。
