The future burden of silicosis and lung cancer among tunnel construction workers in Queensland.

IF 1.8 4区医学 Q3 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Annals Of Work Exposures and Health Pub Date : 2025-04-08 DOI:10.1093/annweh/wxaf013

Kate Cole, Renee N Carey, Tim Driscoll

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is known to increase the risk of the development of silicosis, in addition to lung cancer and other diseases. While much evidence of the link between underground tunnel construction and the resultant development of silicosis exists, limited information is available on the levels of occupational exposure to RCS or the prevalence of RCS-related disease in tunnelling in Australia. Publicly available RCS exposure data were sourced from the construction of 3 major Queensland tunnelling projects between 2007 and 2013. Statistical evaluation was performed to estimate RCS exposure, and together with estimates of workforce size and risk estimates, the future excess number of silicosis and lung cancer in that tunnelling workforce were estimated. In a cohort of around 2,000 workers who serviced the Queensland tunnel projects, it was estimated that between 20 and 30 cases of lung cancer and between 200 and 300 cases of silicosis would develop over their lifetime as a result of exposure to RCS. This paper highlights the likely future burden of disease, the need for case-finding and better control measures to reduce RCS exposure in this high-risk cohort.

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来源期刊

Annals Of Work Exposures and Health Medicine-Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

19.20%

发文量

期刊介绍： About the Journal Annals of Work Exposures and Health is dedicated to presenting advances in exposure science supporting the recognition, quantification, and control of exposures at work, and epidemiological studies on their effects on human health and well-being. A key question we apply to submission is, "Is this paper going to help readers better understand, quantify, and control conditions at work that adversely or positively affect health and well-being?" We are interested in high quality scientific research addressing: the quantification of work exposures, including chemical, biological, physical, biomechanical, and psychosocial, and the elements of work organization giving rise to such exposures; the relationship between these exposures and the acute and chronic health consequences for those exposed and their families and communities; populations at special risk of work-related exposures including women, under-represented minorities, immigrants, and other vulnerable groups such as temporary, contingent and informal sector workers; the effectiveness of interventions addressing exposure and risk including production technologies, work process engineering, and personal protective systems; policies and management approaches to reduce risk and improve health and well-being among workers, their families or communities; methodologies and mechanisms that underlie the quantification and/or control of exposure and risk. There is heavy pressure on space in the journal, and the above interests mean that we do not usually publish papers that simply report local conditions without generalizable results. We are also unlikely to publish reports on human health and well-being without information on the work exposure characteristics giving rise to the effects. We particularly welcome contributions from scientists based in, or addressing conditions in, developing economies that fall within the above scope.