High prevalence of accelerated silicosis among gold miners in Jiangxi, China

Tse, Lap Ah; Li, Zhi Min; Wong, Tze Wai; Fu, Zhenming; Yu, Ignatius Tak Sun

doi:10.1002/ajim.20510

Cited by 34 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…(15) This study did not include any air sampling but the authors estimated that mean exposures for total crystalline silica dust based on an extrapolation from government records of exposure monitoring data to be 89.5 mg/m 3 . They found that the prevalence of accelerated silicosis was 29.1% among 597 workers with an average employment duration in the mine of 5.6 years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(23) However, levels observed in underground operations were considerably higher than what were reported in underground mining elsewhere in Tanzania but in the same range as estimated exposure levels in China where accelerated silicosis was reported. (15,22) …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Accelerated silicosis has been reported among gold miners in China, Scottish stonemasons, and garment industry workers sandblasting denim jeans in Turkey. (15,16,17) U.S. OSHA established a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for respirable crystalline silica proportional to the concentration of quartz and cristobalite forms of silica present in the dust. However, this standard is understood not to be protective against silicosis and the agency recently proposed a lower PEL.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Silica Exposures in Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining in Tanzania and Implications for Tuberculosis Prevention

Gottesfeld¹,

Andrew²,

Dalhoff³

2015

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Silica Exposures in Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining in Tanzania and Implications for Tuberculosis Prevention

Gottesfeld¹,

Andrew²,

Dalhoff³

2015

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although preventive efforts have been implemented for many years, silicosis remains an incurable, fatal and disabling pulmonary disease characterized by pulmonary interstitial brosis and silicotic nodule formation (3). Silicosis progression is due to a lack of a hygienic measures and inadequate surveillance (4), and silicosis has a complex molecular and biological mechanism (5).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

ZC3H4 promotes pulmonary fibrosis via an ER stress-related positive feedback loop

Ghafoor¹,

Chu²,

Huang³

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract Background Pulmonary fibrosis is the sequela of many pulmonary diseases, such as pneumoconiosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The principal characteristics of pulmonary fibrosis comprise myofibroblast proliferation, alveolar damage and deposition of extracellular matrix components, which causes abnormal lung structure remodeling and an irreversible decline in lung function; however, the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. The current study focused on the role of ZC3H4, a new member of the zinc finger protein family, in SiO2-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Methods The expression of ZC3H4 and fibroblast activation markers (COL1A1, COL3A1 and ACTA1) was measured by western blotting and immunofluorescence staining after SiO2 exposure (50 µg/cm2). The functional change in fibroblasts was studied with a scratch assay and a 3D migration assay. The CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to explore the regulatory mechanisms of ZC3H4 in pulmonary fibroblast cells. Results The expression levels of ZC3H4 and sigmar1 (a key regulator of ER stress) were increased in pulmonary fibroblast cells and were associated with fibroblast activation, as indicated by the increase in COL1A1, COL3A1 and ACTA1, as well as the migration ability. The SiO2-enhanced fibroblast activation was attenuated by specific knockdown of ZC3H4 and inhibition of ER stress, demonstrating that ZC3H4 activated fibroblasts via the sigmar1/ER stress pathway. Interestingly, an ER stress blockade also inhibited ZC3H4 expression, indicating the positive feedback regulatory mechanism of ER stress on ZC3H4. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that ZC3H4 and sigmar1 might act as novel therapeutic targets for silicosis, providing a reference for further pulmonary fibrosis research.

show abstract

“…It develops after 4-10 years and is characterized by a clinical image similar to chronic silicosis, but with a higher pathological progression, while the fibrotic changes in the lung may be more irregular and more dispersed (3,4,6). At present, this form of silicosis is mainly encountered in developing countries, among the miners employed in small mines, and its risk is estimated to amount to 30-50% after about 3-5 years of exposure (6).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health effects of occupational exposure to crystalline silica in the light of current research results

Maciejewska¹

2015

Med Pr

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Crystalline silica is commonly found in the work environment. Possible health effects of occupational exposure continue to be the subject of extensive research. The aim of this paper was to analyze the recent findings concerning the health effects of exposure to crystalline silica, taking into account different levels of exposure. This work is based on the relevant information from the papers retrieved from the following databases: EBSCO, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science, using the following keywords: crystalline silica, quartz, health effects. The review of the results confirms the multi-faceted harmful effects of crystalline silica. Prolonged occupational exposure, apart from silicosis and non-cancer respiratory diseases, may also result in the development of lung cancer, and autoimmune and chronic kidney diseases, the pathogenesis, which has not been completely explained yet. The exposure to the crystalline silica at concentrations close to the current occupational exposure limit value does not exclude the risk of the following pathologies: silicosis, lung cancer, other lung diseases and renal diseases. It is not feasible to completely eliminate the crystalline silica dust from the work environment. The best way to reduce the health effects of the exposure is to minimize the concentrations of silica dust. Further progress in clarifying the true mechanisms of interaction between silica dust and lung cells, the determination of the importance of surface properties of the silica particles in the pathogenic processes and explaining the effects of co-morbid dust in the work environment may help to prevent the harmful effects of silica dust. Med Pr 2014;65(6):799-818Key words: crystalline silica, quartz, silicosis, health effects, lung cancer, occupational exposure StreszczenieKrystaliczna krzemionka powszechnie występuje w środowisku pracy. Możliwe zdrowotne skutki zawodowego narażenia są nadal przedmiotem wielu badań. Celem niniejszej pracy była analiza aktualnych wyników badań dotyczących zdrowotnych skutków narażenia na krystaliczną krzemionkę, z uwzględnieniem różnych poziomów ekspozycji. Podstawę opracowania stanowiły publikacje zawarte w bazach: EBSCO, Scopus, ScienceDirect oraz Web of Science, znalezione z użyciem słów kluczowych: crystalline silica, quartz, health effects. Przegląd wyników badań potwierdza wielokierunkowe szkodliwe działanie krystalicznej krzemionki. W następstwie długotrwałej zawodowej ekspozycji, oprócz krzemicy płuc i nienowotworowych chorób układu oddechowego, może rozwijać się rak płuca, a także choroby o niewyjaśnionej ostatecznie patogenezie -choroby autoimmunizacyjne i choroby nerek. Ekspozycja na krystaliczną krzemionkę występującą w zakresie stężeń zbliżonych do obecnie obowiązujących wartości dopuszczalnych nie wyklucza ryzyka wystąpienia następujących patologii: krzemicy, raka płuca, innych chorób płuc oraz chorób nerek. Wyeliminowanie pyłu krystalicznej krzemionki ze środowiska pracy jest praktycznie niemożliwe, a głównym sposobem ograniczania zdrowotnych skut...

show abstract

High prevalence of accelerated silicosis among gold miners in Jiangxi, China

Abstract: This study illustrates a serious health threat to small-scale goldmine in China and indicates an urgent need for environmental control and disease prevention.

Cited by 34 publications

References 11 publications

Silica Exposures in Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining in Tanzania and Implications for Tuberculosis Prevention

Silica Exposures in Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining in Tanzania and Implications for Tuberculosis Prevention

ZC3H4 promotes pulmonary fibrosis via an ER stress-related positive feedback loop

Health effects of occupational exposure to crystalline silica in the light of current research results

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About