Racial Differences in Respiratory Impairment, Pneumoconiosis, and Federal Compensation for Western U.S. Indigenous Coal Miners.

Rationale: Indigenous populations in the United States face numerous health disparities, but the health of Indigenous workers is less well understood. In a recent surveillance study of active Indigenous coal miners, 3% had coal workers' pneumoconiosis/black lung, and 9% had respiratory impairment. However, occupational lung disease prevalence among Indigenous coal miners has not been directly compared with that among other race/ethnicity groups. Coal miners who are totally disabled from black lung may qualify for U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) compensation benefits, but it is unclear how current federal spirometry criteria affect qualification for Indigenous coal miners.Objectives: To compare findings of pneumoconiosis and respiratory impairment in Indigenous and non-Indigenous coal miners in the western United States and assess federal compensation qualification for Indigenous miners using different spirometry standards.Methods: We used voluntary medical surveillance data from 2002 to 2023 to compare the adjusted odds of pneumoconiosis and respiratory impairment between Indigenous/non-Indigenous coal miners. We examined the proportion of Indigenous miners meeting DOL criteria for federal compensation using different spirometry standards.Results: We identified 691 western U.S. coal miners with at least one year of coal mining employment, 289 Indigenous and 402 non-Indigenous (96% White/Hispanic). Indigenous miners had a greater odds ratio for pneumoconiosis for each additional decade of life (2.47 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.66-3.68]) compared with non-Indigenous coal miners (1.48 [95% CI, 1.19-1.85]). For each decade, Indigenous coal miners also had a greater adjusted odds ratio for respiratory impairment (1.67 [95% CI, 1.25-2.24]) than non-Indigenous miners (1.06 [95% CI, 0.90-1.25]). Indigenous miners had an additional decline of 71 ml (95% CI, 6-136 ml) in forced expiratory volume in 1 second for each decade of life compared with non-Indigenous coal miners. Using the DOL-mandated Knudson (1976) spirometry standard rather than an Indigenous-specific standard, 6 of 18 (33%) Indigenous miners would not qualify for federal compensation.Conclusions: Indigenous coal miners experience greater adjusted odds for pneumoconiosis and respiratory impairment per decade of life and greater decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second despite lower smoking rates. Structural inequities exist in federal spirometry requirements for Indigenous miners seeking DOL black lung benefits. Regulatory reform is needed to address barriers to compensation for these underrepresented workers.

Semiquantitative Chest Computed Tomography Assessment Identifies Expiratory Central Airway Collapse in Symptomatic Military Personnel Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

PURPOSE: We noted incidental findings on chest computed tomography (CT) imaging of expiratory central airway collapse (ECAC) in dyspneic patients after military deployment to southwest Asia (mainly Iraq and Afghanistan). We developed a standardized chest CT protocol with dynamic expiration to enhance diagnostic reliability and investigated demographic, clinical, and deployment characteristics possibly associated with ECAC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We calculated ECAC in 62 consecutive post-9/11 deployers with dyspnea who underwent multi-detector chest CT acquisition. ECAC was defined as ≥70% reduction in the cross-sectional tracheal area at dynamic expiration. We compared demographics (age, smoking, body mass index), comorbid conditions (gastroesophageal reflux, obstructive sleep apnea [OSA]), and clinical findings (air trapping, forced expiratory volume in 1 second percent predicted) in deployers with and without ECAC. We examined associations between ECAC and forced expiratory volume in 1 second percent predicted, air trapping, OSA, deployment duration, and blast exposure. RESULTS: Among 62 consecutive deployers with persistent dyspnea, 37% had ECAC. Three had severe (>85%) collapse. Those with ECAC were older (mean age 46 vs. 40 y, P=0.02), but no other demographic or clinical characteristics were statistically different among the groups. Although not statistically significant, ECAC odds were 1.5 times higher (95% confidence interval: 0.9, 2.5) for each additional year of southwest Asia deployment. Deployers with ECAC had 1.6 times greater odds (95% confidence interval: 0.5, 4.8) of OSA. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that ECAC is common in symptomatic southwest Asia deployers. Chest high-resolution CT with dynamic expiration may provide an insight into the causes of dyspnea in this population, although risk factors for ECAC remain to be determined. A standardized semiquantitative approach to CT-based assessment of ECAC should improve reliable diagnosis in dyspneic patients.

COVID-19 as an occupational disease.

The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 permeates all aspects of society worldwide. Initial medical reports and media coverage have increased awareness of the risk imposed on healthcare workers in particular, during this pandemic. However, the health implications of COVID-19 for the global workforce are multifaceted and complex, warranting careful reflection and consideration to mitigate the adverse effects on workers worldwide. Accordingly, our review offers a framework for considering this topic, highlighting key issues, with the aim to prompt and inform action, including research, to minimize the occupational hazards imposed by this ongoing challenge. We address respiratory disease as a primary concern, while recognizing the multisystem spectrum of COVID-19-related disease and how clinical aspects are interwoven with broader socioeconomic forces.

Exposure Assessment Tools for Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis. An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report.

This report is based on proceedings from the Exposure Assessment Tools for Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP) Workshop, sponsored by the American Thoracic Society, that took place on May 18, 2019, in Dallas, Texas. The workshop was initiated by members from the Environmental, Occupational, and Population Health and Clinical Problems Assemblies of the American Thoracic Society. Participants included international experts from pulmonary medicine, occupational medicine, radiology, pathology, and exposure science. The meeting objectives were to 1) define currently available tools for exposure assessment in evaluation of HP, 2) describe the evidence base supporting the role for these exposure assessment tools in HP evaluation, 3) identify limitations and barriers to each tool's implementation in clinical practice, 4) determine which exposure assessment tools demonstrate the best performance characteristics and applicability, and 5) identify research needs for improving exposure assessment tools for HP. Specific discussion topics included history-taking and exposure questionnaires, antigen avoidance, environmental assessment, specific inhalational challenge, serum-specific IgG testing, skin testing, lymphocyte proliferation testing, and a multidisciplinary team approach. Priorities for research in this area were identified.

Progressive Massive Fibrosis Resurgence Identified in U.S. Coal Miners Filing for Black Lung Benefits, 1970-2016.

RATIONALE: There has been a resurgence of progressive massive fibrosis (PMF) in the United States, particularly among central Appalachian miners. OBJECTIVES: We characterized the proportion of PMF among former U.S. coal miners applying for Federal Black Lung Program benefits, 1970-2016. METHODS: Data from the U.S. Department of Labor were used to characterize trends in proportion of PMF cases, defined as an approved black lung claim with a determination of PMF, among all miners who filed for federal benefits between January 1, 1970, and December 31, 2016. Joinpoint, logistic, and linear regression models were used to identify changes in the proportion of claimants with PMF over time. RESULTS: There were 4,679 unique PMF cases among claimants for federal black lung benefits between 1970 and 2016, with 2,474 miners determined to have PMF since 1996. The number of PMF cases among Federal Black Lung Program claimants fell from 404 (0.5% of claimants) in 1978 to a low of 18 cases (0.6%) in 1988, and then increased to 353 cases (8.3%) in 2014. The proportion of federal black lung benefits claimants with PMF has been increasing since 1978 (0.06% annual percent change [APC]; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.05-0.07%; P < 0.0001), and began increasing at a significantly increased rate after 1996 (0.26% APC; 95% CI, 0.25-0.28%; P < 0.0001). Most miners with PMF (84%) last mined in West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, or Virginia. Since 1970, the proportion of claimants with PMF has increased significantly among miners who last worked in Kentucky (16.6% APC; 95% CI, 16.5-16.7%), Pennsylvania (4.7% APC; 95% CI, 4.6-4.8%), Tennessee (16.1% APC; 95% CI, 15.7-16.4%), West Virginia (16.8% APC; 95% CI, 16.6-16.9%), and most sharply among miners last working in Virginia (31.5% APC; 95% CI, 31.2-31.7%), where in 2009, more than 17% of claimants received a PMF determination. The proportion of PMF determinations for the rest of the United States has not exceeded 4%. CONCLUSIONS: There has been a resurgence of PMF, particularly in central Appalachian miners. The resurgence of this preventable disease points to the need for improved primary and secondary prevention of dust-related lung disease in U.S. coal miners.

Increasing Severity of Pneumoconiosis Among Younger Former US Coal Miners Working Exclusively Under Modern Dust-Control Regulations.

BACKGROUND: Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) steadily declined among US miners following dust control regulations in 1970. In 2000, severe forms of this disease reemerged among young miners, and are well described among working-but not former-miners. METHODS: Black lung benefits program (BLBP) data (2001 to 2013) were used to estimate respiratory disease burden among former miners including: (1) CWP (simple; advanced CWP, and progressive massive fibrosis [CWP/PMF]); and (2) respiratory impairment (FEV1 percent reference: mild, moderate, ≥moderately-severe). RESULTS: Among 24,686 claimants, 8.5% had advanced CWP/PMF; prevalence was highest among younger (less than or equal to 56 years: 10.8%) and older (greater than 70 years: 8.4%) miners and those who began work after versus before 1970 (8.3% vs. 4.0%). CONCLUSIONS: BLBP claims provide potentially useful data for monitoring the burden and severity of coal mine dust lung disease, and assessing efficacy of protective regulations.

Association Between Occupational Exposures and Sarcoidosis: An Analysis From Death Certificates in the United States, 1988-1999.

BACKGROUND: Sarcoidosis is a disease that is associated with occupational and environmental antigens, in the setting of a susceptible host. The aim of this study was to examine the association between sarcoidosis mortality and previously reported occupational exposures based on sex and race. METHODS: The decedents enrolled in this study were derived from United States death certificates from 1988-1999. Cause of death was coded according to ICD-9 and ICD-10. The usual occupation was coded with Bureau of the Census Occupation Codes. Mortality odds ratio (MOR) were determined and multiple Poisson regression were performed to evaluate the independent exposure effects after adjustment for age, sex, race and other occupational exposures. RESULTS: Of the 7,118,535 decedents in our study, 3,393 were identified as sarcoidosis-related, including 1,579 identified as sarcoidosis being the underlying cause of death. The sarcoidosis-related MOR of any occupational exposure was 1.52 (95% CI, 1.35-1.71). Women with any exposure demonstrated an increased MOR compared to women without (MOR 1.65, 95% CI, 1.45-1.89). The mortality risk was significantly elevated in those with employment involving metal working, health care, teaching, sales, banking, and administration. Higher sarcoidosis-related mortality risks associated with specific exposures were noted in women vs men and blacks vs whites. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of prior occupations and risk of sarcoidosis were verified using sarcoidosis mortality rates. There were significant differences in risk for sarcoidosis mortality by occupational exposures based on sex and race.

An official American Thoracic Society policy statement: managing conscientious objections in intensive care medicine.

RATIONALE: Intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians sometimes have a conscientious objection (CO) to providing or disclosing information about a legal, professionally accepted, and otherwise available medical service. There is little guidance about how to manage COs in ICUs. OBJECTIVES: To provide clinicians, hospital administrators, and policymakers with recommendations for managing COs in the critical care setting. METHODS: This policy statement was developed by a multidisciplinary expert committee using an iterative process with a diverse working group representing adult medicine, pediatrics, nursing, patient advocacy, bioethics, philosophy, and law. MAIN RESULTS: The policy recommendations are based on the dual goals of protecting patients' access to medical services and protecting the moral integrity of clinicians. Conceptually, accommodating COs should be considered a "shield" to protect individual clinicians' moral integrity rather than as a "sword" to impose clinicians' judgments on patients. The committee recommends that: (1) COs in ICUs be managed through institutional mechanisms, (2) institutions accommodate COs, provided doing so will not impede a patient's or surrogate's timely access to medical services or information or create excessive hardships for other clinicians or the institution, (3) a clinician's CO to providing potentially inappropriate or futile medical services should not be considered sufficient justification to forgo the treatment against the objections of the patient or surrogate, and (4) institutions promote open moral dialogue and foster a culture that respects diverse values in the critical care setting. CONCLUSIONS: This American Thoracic Society statement provides guidance for clinicians, hospital administrators, and policymakers to address clinicians' COs in the critical care setting.

Needs and opportunities for research in hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) develops after inhalation of many different environmental antigens, causing variable clinical symptoms that often make diagnosis uncertain. The prevalence of HP is higher than recognized, especially its chronic form. Mechanisms of disease are still incompletely known. Strategies to improve detection and diagnosis are needed, and treatment options, principally avoidance, are limited. A workshop recommended: a population-based study to more accurately document the incidence and prevalence of HP; better classification of disease stages, including natural history; evaluation of diagnostic tests and biomarkers used to detect disease; better correlation of computerized tomography lung imaging and pathologic changes; more study of inflammatory and immune mechanisms; and improvement of animal models that are more relevant for human disease.