Skip to main content
British Journal of Industrial Medicine logoLink to British Journal of Industrial Medicine
. 1986 Jul;43(7):445–449. doi: 10.1136/oem.43.7.445

Radiological survey of past and present vermiculite miners exposed to tremolite.

J C McDonald, P Sebastien, B Armstrong
PMCID: PMC1007683  PMID: 3013279

Abstract

Chest radiographs taken by a standard technique were obtained from 173 current employees (164 men, 9 women) of a vermiculite mine in Montana, from 80 of 110 past employees resident within 200 miles, and from 47 men from the same area without known exposure to dust. In 43 of the 80 and 24 of the 47 an earlier chest x ray film was retrieved from the hospital archives. All 367 films were assessed blind and independently by three experienced readers using the ILO 1980 classification. Median radiographic assessment scores were analysed in relation to estimated cumulative exposure to the amphibole fibres that contaminate the vermiculite. Logistic regression analyses showed independent effects of age, smoking, and exposure on the prevalence of small opacities and of age and probably of exposure on pleural thickening. Overall, the data suggest that by retirement age the increase in prevalence of small opacities (greater than or equal to 1/0) lies between 5% and 10% per 100 f/ml years. This gradient may be somewhat steeper than for chrysotile miners and millers, but not much so.

Full text

PDF
447

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Liddell F. D., Gibbs G. W., McDonald J. C. Radiological changes and fibre exposure in chrysotile workers aged 60-69 years at Thetford Mines. Ann Occup Hyg. 1982;26(1-4):889–898. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. McDonald J. C., McDonald A. D., Armstrong B., Sebastien P. Cohort study of mortality of vermiculite miners exposed to tremolite. Br J Ind Med. 1986 Jul;43(7):436–444. doi: 10.1136/oem.43.7.436. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Rossiter C. E., Bristol L. J., Cartier P. H., Gilson J. G., Grainger T. R., Sluis-Cremer G. K., McDonald J. C. Radiographic changes in chrysotile asbestos mine and mill workers of Quebec. Arch Environ Health. 1972 Jun;24(6):388–400. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1972.10666114. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Industrial Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES