A case-control study of reasons for unusual radiological changes of pneumoconiosis among individual mineworkers. Phase I report on CEC Contract 7256-31/024/08

Epidemiological investigations in British and German Coalmines have established quantitative relationships between personal exposure to mixed dust and radiological measurements of pneumoconiosis. More recent analyses of data provided by the NCB’s Pneumoconiosis Field Research have established significant association between unusual radiological changes of simple pneumoconiosis and high levels of quartz and that these unusual changes were associated with the occurrence and development of massive fibrosis.These findings are being tested through a case-control study on the larger population available in the U.K. mines. The present exercise, which represents the first phase of the intended study, has established that there is a suitable population of c. 47 000 from which cases and controls may be selected, the proportion of potential cases being 1.3 per cent.