Decrease in selenium status in relation to coal dust exposure

Abstract

Selenium (Se) plasma levels were studied 222 coal miners to assess whether selenium is decreased in relation to coal dust exposure, taking age, alcohol, and tobacco consumption into account. Selenium levels decreased significantly with age and current tobacco consumption, among miners aged 34–50. Long‐term and current exposure to coal dust were studied. The lowest Se values were observed for those with both long‐term and current exposure (60.2 ng/ml), the highest for those never or slightly exposed (64.1 ng/ml); those with long‐term exposure not currently exposed fell in an intermediate position (61.3 ng/ml). No relation was observed with alcohol consumption. The association of coal dust with low selenium remained significant after adjustment for age and smoking. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Selenium and exposure to fibrogenic mineral dust: A mini-review

“…We found two articles related to Se and coal dust exposure, and all these studies suggest that exposure to coal dust is associated with low Se levels (Oryszczyn et al, 1996;Nadif et al, 2001).…”

“…In this study, the researchers recruited 240 coal miners aged 34 to50 years, 222 of whom were measured for Se (Oryszczyn et al, 1996). These coal miners were divided into three groups according to the history of their occupational exposure to coal dust and their chest X-rays.…”

“…Tobacco smoking and exposure to mineral dust lead to inflammation and secretion of oxidants. Tobacco smoking has been found to be associated with low Se status (Goodman et al, 2001;Oryszczyn et al, 1996). Accordingly, human studies regarding Se and common fibrotic pneumoconioses (silicosis, asbestosis, and CWP) are scant.…”

“…We found four cross-sectional studies; of them, one study combined cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. These crosssectional studies reported that levels of Se were reduced in workers exposed to coal mine dust (Oryszczyn et al, 1996;Nadif et al, 2001) and in patients suffering from silicosis (Muzembo et al, 2013), and in those suffering from asbestosis (Gottschall et al, 2004). A summary of these studies is described below.…”

Distributions of arsenic and selenium in selected Chinese coal mines

“…People exposed chronically to these toxic trace elements can develop various chronic or acute diseases, such as typical symptoms of As poisoning, hair loss, selenosis etc. (Finkelman, 1999;Swaine, 2000;Finkelman et al, 1999;Oryszczyn et al, 1996). Domestic use of coal can potentially present serious human health problems because the coals generally are mined locally with little regard to their composition, and the coals are commonly burned in poorly vented or unvented stoves, directly exposing residents to the emissions.…”