Hnizdo E, Sluis-Cremer G K
Epidemiology Research Unit, Medical Bureau for Occupational Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Am J Ind Med. 1993 Oct;24(4):447-57. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700240409.
The risk of silicosis was investigated in a cohort of 2,235 white South African gold miners who had, on average, 24 years of net service from 1940 to the early 1970s and who were followed up to 1991 for radiological signs of onset of silicosis (ILO category 1/1 or more). There were 313 (14%) miners who developed signs of silicosis at an average age of 55.9 years. The latency period was largely independent of the cumulative dust exposure. In 57% of the silicosis, the radiological signs developed, on average, 7.4 years after mining exposure ceased. The risk of silicosis increased exponentially with the cumulative dust dose, the accelerated increase being after 7 mg/m3-years. At the highest exposure level of 15 mg/m3-years, which represents approximately 37 years of gold mining at an average respirable dust concentration of 0.4 mg/m3, the cumulative risk for silicosis reached 77%. In conclusion, the risk of silicosis was strongly dose dependent; however, the latency period was largely independent of the dose.
对2235名南非白人金矿工人组成的队列进行了矽肺病风险调查，这些工人在1940年至20世纪70年代初平均有24年的净服务年限，并随访至1991年，以观察矽肺病发病的放射学迹象（国际劳工组织分类1/1或更高）。有313名（14%）矿工出现了矽肺病迹象，平均发病年龄为55.9岁。潜伏期在很大程度上与累积粉尘暴露无关。在57%的矽肺病病例中，放射学迹象平均在停止采矿暴露7.4年后出现。矽肺病风险随累积粉尘剂量呈指数增加，在7mg/m³-年之后加速增加。在最高暴露水平15mg/m³-年时，这相当于在平均可吸入粉尘浓度为0.4mg/m³的情况下进行约37年的金矿开采，矽肺病的累积风险达到77%。总之，矽肺病风险强烈依赖于剂量；然而，潜伏期在很大程度上与剂量无关。
