Souza Tamires P, van Tongeren Martie, Monteiro Inês
Faculty of Nursing, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Division of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Am J Ind Med. 2021 Jun;64(6):511-518. doi: 10.1002/ajim.23242. Epub 2021 Mar 28.
Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) are an important source of employment in southern Brazil. Mining workers are frequently exposed to unhealthy work conditions which increase the risk of occupational diseases. In this study, we assessed the association of sociodemographic factors and the occupational history of artisanal mining workers with the risk of adverse respiratory outcomes.
The study was conducted with 258 artisanal mining workers in southern Brazil, who were exposed to dust (mainly crystalline silica) in their work. Information on sociodemographic variables and occupational histories was collected between 2017 and 2018. To estimate the worker's exposure to inhalable dust we use the Advanced REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals) Tool (ART).
Study participants were all men, with an average age of 40 years. Median crude dust exposure estimated by ART was 13.2 mg/m³ and median crude crystalline silica exposure was 1.6 mg/m . The prevalence ratio (PR) for self-reported silicosis was 3.08 (95% confidence interval, 1.39-7.17) in workers with 20 years or more of mining work. Factors associated with silicosis were age, pack-years of tobacco use, and body mass index. Smokers were over twice as likely to report respiratory symptoms.
Our findings indicate that a high prevalence of silicosis and other associated diseases in mining workers is associated with both unhealthy work environment conditions and the health profile of workers. This study is an important step for understanding health outcomes from work in ASM.
个体和小规模采矿（ASM）是巴西南部重要的就业来源。采矿工人经常暴露于不健康的工作条件下，这增加了职业病的风险。在本研究中，我们评估了个体采矿工人的社会人口学因素和职业史与不良呼吸结局风险之间的关联。
该研究对巴西南部258名个体采矿工人进行，他们在工作中接触粉尘（主要是结晶硅石）。2017年至2018年期间收集了社会人口学变量和职业史信息。为了估计工人对可吸入粉尘的接触情况，我们使用了高级化学品注册、评估和授权工具（ART）。
研究参与者均为男性，平均年龄40岁。ART估计的粉尘暴露粗中位数为13.2毫克/立方米，结晶硅石暴露粗中位数为1.6毫克/立方米。从事采矿工作20年或更长时间的工人中，自我报告的矽肺病患病率比（PR）为3.08（95%置信区间，1.39 - 7.17）。与矽肺病相关的因素有年龄、吸烟包年数和体重指数。吸烟者报告呼吸症状的可能性是不吸烟者的两倍多。
我们的研究结果表明，采矿工人中矽肺病和其他相关疾病的高患病率与不健康的工作环境条件以及工人的健康状况有关。本研究是了解个体和小规模采矿工作健康结局的重要一步。
