Population Cancer Risks Associated with Coal Mining: A Systematic Review

Jenkins, Wiley D.; Christian, W. Jay; Mueller, Georgia; Robbins, K. Thomas

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0071312

Cited by 51 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…This review did not include related types of coal mining outside of this region that may be relevant to community health exposures as covered in recent systematic reviews by Jenkins et al (2013) of coal mining and cancer and Mactaggart et al (2016) of mining in rural communities in high-income countries. Although perhaps limiting, we felt justified focusing on the potential health effects from MTR mining in the Appalachian Mountains.…”

Section: Limitations Of This Systematic Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic review of community health impacts of mountaintop removal mining

Boyles

Blain

Rochester

et al. 2017

Environment International

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Background The objective of this evaluation is to understand the human health impacts of mountaintop removal (MTR) mining, the major method of coal mining in and around Central Appalachia. MTR mining impacts the air, water, and soil and raises concerns about potential adverse health effects in neighboring communities;exposures associated with MTR mining include particulate matter (PM), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, hydrogen sulfide, and other recognized harmful substances. Methods A systematic review was conducted of published studies of MTR mining and community health, occupational studies of MTR mining, and any available animal and in vitro experimental studies investigating the effects of exposures to MTR-mining-related chemical mixtures. Six databases (Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, Toxline, and Web of Science) were searched with customized terms, and no restrictions on publication year or language, through October 27, 2016. The eligibility criteria included all human population studies and animal models of human health, direct and indirect measures of MTR-mining exposure, any health-related effect or change in physiological response, and any study design type. Risk of bias was assessed for observational and experimental studies using an approach developed by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT). To provide context for these health effects, a summary of the exposure literature is included that focuses on describing findings for outdoor air, indoor air, and drinking water. Results From a literature search capturing 3088 studies, 33 human studies (29 community, four occupational), four experimental studies (two in rat, one in vitro and in mice, one in C. elegans), and 58 MTR mining exposure studies were identified. A number of health findings were reported in observational human studies, including cardiopulmonary effects, mortality, and birth defects. However, concerns for risk of bias were identified, especially with respect to exposure characterization, accounting for confounding variables (such as socioeconomic status), and methods used to assess health outcomes. Typically, exposure was assessed by proximity of residence or hospital to coal mining or production level at the county level. In addition, assessing the consistency of findings was challenging because separate publications likely included overlapping case and comparison groups. For example, 11 studies of mortality were conducted with most reporting higher rates associated with coal mining, but many of these relied on the same national datasets and were unable to consider individual-level contributors to mortality such as poor socioeconomic status or smoking. Two studies of adult rats reported impaired microvascular and cardiac mitochondrial function after intratracheal exposure to PM from MTR-mining sites. Exposures associated with MTR mining included reports of PM levels that sometimes exceeded Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards; higher levels of dust, tra...

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Section: Limitations Of This Systematic Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic review of community health impacts of mountaintop removal mining

Boyles

Blain

Rochester

et al. 2017

Environment International

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“…11 Studies that investigated the effects of occupational exposure to coal, a substance similar to charcoal has established the dose-response relationships with lung diseases such as pneumoconiosis and COPD. [3][4][5][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] We hypothesize that prolonged exposure to charcoal dust is associated with increased risk for manifestation of poor respiratory health outcomes among the charcoal workers. This study investigated whether exposure to charcoal dust was related to respiratory symptoms and lung function in a dose-dependent manner.…”

Section: -5mentioning

confidence: 99%

Respiratory health effects of occupational exposure to charcoal dust in Namibia

Hamatui

Naidoo

Kgabi

2016

International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health

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Background: Charcoal processing activities can increase the risk of adverse respiratory outcomes. Objective: To determine dose-response relationships between occupational exposure to charcoal dust, respiratory symptoms and lung function among charcoal-processing workers in Namibia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 307 workers from charcoal factories in Namibia. All respondents completed interviewer-administered questionnaires. Spirometry was performed, ambient and respirable dust levels were assessed in different work sections. Multiple logistic regression analysis estimated the overall effect of charcoal dust exposure on respiratory outcomes, while linear regression estimated the exposurerelated effect on lung function. Workers were stratified according to cumulative dust exposure category. Results: Exposure to respirable charcoal dust levels was above occupational exposure limits in most sectors, with packing and weighing having the highest dust exposure levels (median 27.7 mg/m 3 , range: 0.2-33.0 for the 8-h time-weighted average). The high cumulative dust exposure category was significantly associated with usual cough (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.1-4.0), usual phlegm (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.1-4.1), episodes of phlegm and cough (OR: 2.8; 95% CI: 1.1-6.1), and shortness of breath. A non-statistically significant lower adjusted mean-predicted % FEV1 was observed (98.1% for male and 95.5% for female) among workers with greater exposure. Conclusions: Charcoal dust levels exceeded the US OSHA recommended limit of 3.5 mg/m 3 for carbon-blackcontaining material and study participants presented with exposure-related adverse respiratory outcomes in a dose-response manner. Our findings suggest that the Namibian Ministry of Labour introduce stronger enforcement strategies of existing national health and safety regulations within the industry.

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“…In relation to exposure to dust containing SiO 2 , epidemiological studies have been focused mostly on the issue of the risk of malignant neoplasms of the lungs and stomach in recent years. Regarding the mortality of miners from malignant neoplasms of the lung, the results of the individual studies vary from negative associations [6,7,13,15,16], to not significantly increased risks, to a statistically significant increase of values [10,14,16,17,18,19]. In some cases, large cohorts are followed up for a period of several decades, e.g., the US study of underground coal miners [5,6], where a recent study was in compliance with the previous studies that had found higher mortality from malignant and non-malignant respiratory diseases [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mortality in Miners with Coal-Workers’ Pneumoconiosis in the Czech Republic in the Period 1992–2013

Tomášková

Šplíchalová

Šlachtová

et al. 2017

IJERPH

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While working underground, miners are exposed to a number of risk factors that have a negative impact on their health and may be a cause of an increased mortality in miners. The aim of the study was to compare total and specific mortality in black coal miners with acknowledged coal-workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) and without CWP, and the mortality of the general male population in the Czech Republic in the period 1992–2013. The sample consisted of 3476 coal miners with CWP and 6687 ex-coal miners without CWP, who were removed after achieving the maximum permissible exposure (MPE). The mortality risk differences were analyzed with the use of the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) and 95% confidence interval. Significantly higher total mortality (SMR = 1.10; 95% CI: 1.02–1.17), and mortality from malignant neoplasm (SMR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.03–1.30), lung cancers (SMR = 1.70; 95% CI: 1.41–2.04), and non-malignant respiratory diseases (SMR = 2.78; 95% CI: 2.32–3.31) were found in the sample of coal miners with CWP. In this sample, the severity of CWP was assessed, and the SMR increased with the severity of CWP. The total (SMR = 0.86; 95% CI: 0.82–0.91) and specific mortality of miners without CWP were not higher compared with the general population. In the case where the miners were removed from underground work after achieving the MPE (without CWP), their mortality was not higher than that of the general population, but the mortality of miners with CWP was higher compared to the general population. This mortality was affected by malignant and non-malignant respiratory diseases.

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Population Cancer Risks Associated with Coal Mining: A Systematic Review

Cited by 51 publications

References 52 publications

Systematic review of community health impacts of mountaintop removal mining

Systematic review of community health impacts of mountaintop removal mining

Respiratory health effects of occupational exposure to charcoal dust in Namibia

Mortality in Miners with Coal-Workers’ Pneumoconiosis in the Czech Republic in the Period 1992–2013

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