Publications by authors named "Janet M Hale"
Article Synopsis
- Acute inhalation injuries from chemical exposures in the workplace are preventable, yet national surveillance of these incidents is limited.
- A study analyzed OSHA records from April 2011 to March 2022 to identify common inhalation incidents across various industries, finding that inorganic gases were the leading cause of such injuries.
- The manufacturing and construction sectors reported the highest rates of both fatal and nonfatal injuries, highlighting the need for targeted prevention measures and worker training on exposure risks and safety equipment.
Background: Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) can potentially cause silicosis, lung cancer, and renal failure. The current study estimates the percentages of workers potentially overexposed to concentrations of RCS dust and silicosis proportional mortality rates (PMRs) by industry.
Methods: Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance inspection sampling data for RCS collected during 1979 to 2015 were used to estimate percentages of workers exposed.
Background: Exposure to respirable coal mine dust can cause pneumoconiosis, an irreversible lung disease that can be debilitating. The mass concentration and quartz mass percent of respirable coal mine dust samples (annually, by occupation, by geographic region) from surface coal mines and surface facilities at U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) B Reader Program provides the opportunity for physicians to demonstrate proficiency in the International Labour Office (ILO) system for classifying radiographs of pneumoconioses. We summarize trends in participation and examinee attributes and performance during 1987 to 2018.
Methods: Since 1987, NIOSH has maintained details of examinees and examinations.
Background: This study summarized the mass concentration and quartz mass percent of respirable coal mine dust samples (annually, by district, and by occupation) from underground coal mines during 1982-2017.
Methods: Respirable dust and quartz data collected and analyzed by Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) were summarized by year, coal mining occupation, and geographical area. The older (before August 2016) 2.
Objective: The National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health-administered Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program (CWHSP) provides radiographic pneumoconiosis screening for US coal miners. Radiographs are classified by readers according to International Labour Office criteria. In addition to pneumoconiotic parenchymal and pleural lung abnormalities, readers document radiographic features of importance (other symbols).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- This study aimed to better understand the distribution and causes of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) among underground coal miners in the US.
- Researchers analyzed chest X-rays from nearly 6,658 miners across 15 states and found notably higher rates of CWP in Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia compared to other states.
- The findings indicated that younger miners in these states, particularly those working in smaller mines, experienced more severe forms of CWP and related health issues due to insufficient dust control measures.
Objective: To assess whether the recent increases in the prevalence of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) in the USA reflect increased measured exposures over recent decades, and to identify other potential causative factors.
Methods: The observed CWP prevalence was calculated for 12,408 underground coal miner participants in the Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program for the period 2005-2009, stratified by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) geographical districts. The predicted prevalence was estimated using a published exposure-response model from a large epidemiological study among U.