Asbestos Report Highlights: Work-Related Lung Disease Surveillance

Read the highlights in the CDC’s Work-Related Lung Disease Surveillance Report. This section focuses on lung cancer and other lung diseases that stem from exposure to asbestos.

• Lung Cancer: This edition of the Work-Related Lung Disease Surveillance Report is the first of the series to include a section on lung cancer – specifically PMRs by industry and occupation. A variety of industries and occupations associated with significantly elevated lung cancer mortality are listed in this section.
• Other Interstitial Pulmonary Diseases; This edition of the Work-Related Lung Disease Surveillance Report is the first of the series to include a section on other interstitial pulmonary diseases – specifically PMRs by industry and occupation. A variety of industries and occupations associated with significantly elevated other interstitial pulmonary diseases mortality are listed in this section.
• Various Work-Related Respiratory Conditions: Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Annual Survey and the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics Database, both of which include information on a wide range of work-related respiratory diseases, serve to remind readers that there is much more to work-related lung disease and other occupational respiratory diseases than they might otherwise realize. Data are presented on work-related upper airway disorders (e.g., allergic rhinitis, nasal septum perforation), malignant diseases (e.g., nasal and laryngeal, as well as pulmonary and pleural), infectious diseases (e.g., influenza, pneumonia, and Legionnaires’ disease), and other respiratory diseases (e.g., pneumonitis, interstitial fibrosis, etc.).
• Smoking Prevalence by Occupation and Industry: This edition of the Work-Related Lung Disease Surveillance Report is the first of the series to include a section on smoking prevalence by industry and occupation. Smoking by itself is an important cause of lung disease and smoking can also compound the adverse effects of occupational exposures. Based on recent data from the National Health Interview Survey, estimated smoking prevalences range widely from 12% among elementary and secondary schools and colleges workers to over 40% among repair services workers. Similar wide-ranging smoking prevalences are seen among occupational groups.

Courtesy of the CDC.

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