UNASSIGNED: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are prevalent in the workforce and occur across various industries. Surveys show that the prevalence of WMSDs among miners is generally over 50%.
UNASSIGNED: High levels of intelligent equipment usage (IEU) can decrease the prevalence of WMSDs among miners by 7.49% and reduce pain by 13.69% on average. Stepwise regression analysis proved that IEU can reduce the harmful effects of workload on WMSDs.
UNASSIGNED: New Quality Productive Forces (NQPF) should also focus on health productivity. Disease prevention departments should consider the impact of NQPFs on occupational health and actively guide intelligent equipment design.

UNASSIGNED: Pneumoconiosis is the most widely distributed occupational disease worldwide. China is currently the largest coal producer and consumer and the country with the most coal miners and cases of coal workers\' pneumoconiosis (CWP). Despite more than 70 years of effort, the problem of CWP and silicosis remains serious. There is a lack of analysis of direct data on coal miners\' pneumoconiosis from all over the country. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of coal miners\' pneumoconiosis and reveal some important clues regarding its social determinants.
UNASSIGNED: The annual incidence rate, 20-year prevalence rate, and incidence rate of coal miners\' pneumoconiosis per million tons in China from 1949 to 2021 were calculated by using the data of annual number of coal miners\' pneumoconiosis diagnosed and reported from the coal mining and dressing industry, the number of coal miners, and the raw coal production, and the relationship between the incident cases of coal miners\' pneumoconiosis and the death toll from coal mine safety accidents was analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis, with the aim of exploring the relationship between the incident cases of coal miners\' pneumoconiosis and its social determinants with an ecological study.
UNASSIGNED: From 1949 to 2021, there have been more than 462,000 patients with coal miners\' pneumoconiosis in China, showing double U-shaped distributions with an increasing trend, accounting for about 50.5% (462,000/915,000) of all diagnosed pneumoconiosis in China, while the incidencet rate of coal miners\' pneumoconiosis presents a large W shaped distribution with three peaks over a time span of more than 50 years. From 1949 to 1986, there was a strong correlation between the incident cases of coal miners\' pneumoconiosis and raw coal production, the number of coal miners, and the number of deaths from coal mine accidents (r = 0.849, P < 0.001; r = 0.817, P < 0.001; r = 0.697, P < 0.001, respectively), but there was no such correlation found from 1987 to 2006. It was estimated that the annual incidence rate of coal miners\' pneumoconiosis in China from 2016 to 2020 was 3.4‰ (95% CI: 2.6-4.3‰), and the prevalence rate across the recent 20-year observation period was 4.8% (95% CI: 4.6-4.9%), both measured at the peak or around the peak over the 70 years. In particular, 1963, 1986, 2006, and 2009 were the four important turning points in time.
UNASSIGNED: There was a sustained high level of incident cases of coal miners\' pneumoconiosis with double U-shaped curve in China, which may be affected by a variety of social determinants and risk factors.

Gold miners working illegally in mines live in poor health conditions related to their strenuous work and precarious housing. Therefore, they are at higher risk for infectious diseases. American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) appears to be of great concern to the population living in the Guiana Shield region. Our aim was to describe their demographic characteristics, the clinical features of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), and the frequency of Leishmania infection in people working in illegal gold mines in French Guiana. A cross-sectional study was carried out from October to December 2019 in Oiapoque city, Amapá, Brazil. Indeed, many gold miners working in French Guiana are originally from Brazil, and from Oiapoque in particular. A total of 105 participants from 31 different mining sites in French Guiana were recruited. Suspected Leishmania infection was confirmed by the following: detection of kDNA in blood or the lesion site; detection of specific antibodies; or detection of IFN-γ release after blood incubation with leishmanial antigens (IGRA-Leish). Nine active CL cases, 38 healed ATL (hATL) and 58 cases with no history of ATL (noATL), were identified. Only half of the treated hATL (50.0%; n = 14) reported having been assisted by a health care unit and the others treated themselves. PCR-kDNA for Leishmania was positive in the blood of 100% of CL cases. Curiously, blood PCR-kDNA was positive in 13% of hATL patients and in 15.5% of noATL patients. The IGRA-Leish was positive in 60.5% of hATL and in 37.9% of noATL. In addition to scars suggestive of CL, 71% of hATL had laboratory evidence of Leishmania infection. Restriction fragment polymorphism (RFLP) of the hsp70 gene identified a sympatric circulation of L. (V.) guyanensis (n = 4), L. (V.) braziliensis (n = 1), L. (L.) amazonensis (n = 2), L. (V.) shawi (n = 1) and L. (V.) naiffi/shawi (n = 1). Taking the laboratory techniques and the clinical evaluations together, 76% (n = 80) of the 105 participants had evidence of Leishmania infection. These results suggests that illegal gold miners working in French Guiana are at high risk for infection with different species of Leishmania, but their illegal condition and remoteness make it difficult for them to access health services.

As the depth of coal mining increases, the temperature and humidity of the underground environment also rise, which can negatively impact the physiological health of miners, and may even pose a threat to their safety and lives. However, studies on the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the relationship between temperature, humidity, and miners\' alertness are scant. This study investigates several research objectives: (A) the differences in reaction time and error rate in different temperature and humidity conditions, which factor has a greater impact; (B) the differences in the levels of Oxy-Hb in different conditions and which factor has a greater impact; (C) the differences of activation degree between different regions of interest; and (D) the differences in the shape of Oxy-Hb time course between different conditions between different regions of interests. The fNIRS was used to measure the activity in 100 participants\' prefrontal cortex in this study. The results showed that both temperature and humidity would lead to decreased alertness of miners, which would not only prolong the reaction time, increase the error rate, and increase the Oxy-Hb concentration, but also lead to increased activation of the prefrontal cortex and greater activation of the right side than that of the left side, the Oxy-Hb time course was different on both sides, and temperature has a greater effect on alertness than humidity.

The World Health Organization recommends systematic chest X-ray (CXR) screening for tuberculosis (TB) in silica-exposed workers. However, evidence on the accuracy of CXR screening in such populations is lacking.
To measure the accuracy of CXR screening for active TB in silica-exposed miners, in a population with a high prevalence of silicosis, post-TB lung disease and HIV.
A secondary analysis of data from a miner screening programme in Lesotho was undertaken. We measured the performance of CXR (in participants with and without cough) for \'abnormalities suggestive of TB\' against Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert). The sample size was 2572 and positive Xpert prevalence was 3%.
CXR alone had high sensitivity (0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.87-0.99), but low specificity (0.41, 95% CI 0.39-0.42). Requiring cough and a positive CXR increased specificity (0.79, 95% CI 0.77-0.81), resulting in reduced sensitivity (0.41, 95% CI 0.30-0.52). There was no difference in CXR accuracy by HIV status. However, specificity was markedly reduced in the presence of silicosis (from 0.70, 95% CI 0.68-0.72, to 0.03, 95% CI 0.02-0.04) or past TB history (from 0.59, 95% CI 0.56-0.62 to 0.27, 95% CI 0.25-0.29). Throughout, positive predictive value remained very low (5%) and negative predictive value very high (99%).
CXR screening accurately identifies TB-negative CXRs in this population, but post-TB lung disease and silicosis would result in a high proportion of Xpert-negative referrals and an increased risk of unneeded empirical treatment. Adapted screening algorithms, practitioner training and digital access to previous mining CXRs are needed.

Rising gold prices have led artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) operations to proliferate in sub-Saharan Africa, extending into agricultural areas. Little is known about the interactions between agriculture and mining in these new frontiers. This study aimed to investigate the impacts of ASGM on natural and physical livelihood capitals, ASGM\'s interactions with agriculture at household, community and institutional levels and the drivers underpinning those interactions, and the policy implications for the co-existence of sustainable agriculture and ASGM. Alongside literature review, field-work took place in Atiwa West District and Koforidua, Ghana using environmental field surveys, questionnaires, focus group discussions and interviews. Questionnaire and field survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics, with thematic analysis of interviews and focus group data. Findings revealed that most miners were unregulated, mined irresponsibly and degraded land, waterways, and farm roads. Over one-third of farmers (38%) suffered land degradation, and 79% of affected farmers\' lands were not reclaimed. Farmers diversified into ASGM, and mining proceeds boosted farming. Young farmers (18-40 years) shifted into ASGM full-time because it is more lucrative. Yet, ASGM is not replacing agriculture: cocoa farming remains a vital economic activity. Informal ASGM generates short-term income at household level for some but imposes long-term costs at community level, linked to cumulative loss of agricultural land and degradation of forest areas and water bodies, creating tensions, and increasing vulnerability. Financial hardships faced by farmers, landowners\' desire to benefit directly from gold and lack of law enforcement drive informal ASGM. There are no institutional linkages between the agricultural and mining sectors. More joined up governance across agriculture and mining is needed and between formal and informal (traditional) institutions. ASGM should be incorporated into broader rural development policy reforms that support farmers, incentivise miners to operate legally and responsibly and ensure effective stakeholder engagement.

Little is known about the burden of silicosis in Africa, despite extensive mining and construction operations in the region putting numerous people at risk. The implementation experience and costs of case-finding for occupational lung disease in resource-limited settings are also currently unknown. We describe the first-ever silicosis case-finding project in rural Rwanda using chest X-ray, symptom questionnaires, and spirometry. This was coupled with routine noncommunicable disease case-finding for diabetes and hypertension. We performed an ingredient-based analysis of the costs of all case-finding activities. In 2022, over 25 days, 1,032 mine workers were included in the program, of which 1,014 (98.3%) completed silicosis case-finding activities. The total cost of the program was estimated to be US$38,656, representing a cost of US$37.49 per person. We conclude that conducting large-scale occupational lung disease case-finding is clinically and economically feasible in resource-limited settings and can be effectively integrated with routine noncommunicable disease case-finding.

UNASSIGNED: Tuberculosis (TB) and Silicosis are public health problems with high morbidity and mortality. They also exist as comorbidities and are highly prevalent among mine workers.
UNASSIGNED: This study aims to estimate the risk of TB in miners with silicosis than in miners not having silicosis.
UNASSIGNED: This systematic review was conducted by literature search using PubMed, and EMBASE for studies published from 1st Jan 2017 till 20th July 2022. From the data obtained using relevant keywords for the search, a total of 345 articles were selected for screening after applying our inclusion-exclusion criteria and removing duplicates. PRISMA guidelines were followed. items JBI critical appraisal checklist for cross-sectional studies was used for assessment of the risk of bias. The odds ratio was used to estimate the strength of the association.
UNASSIGNED: After extensive screening, four studies have met our selection criteria. The meta-analysis of those studies revealed that the prevalence of TB in miners with silicosis is 27.11% while the prevalence of TB in miners with non-silicosis is 16.75%. The estimated pooled odds ratio (fixed effect model) is 1.34 (95% CI 1.01 - 1.76).
UNASSIGNED: The present study reveals that there is an increased risk of TB in miners with Silicosis. Newer initiatives must be taken to prevent TB in miners.

UNASSIGNED: Factors associated with the mining environment can contribute to work accidents and reduced caution at work, which may affect the quality of life and work capacity of miners.
UNASSIGNED: To evaluate if fatigue influences quality of life and work capacity in miners with silicosis.
UNASSIGNED: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Northern Region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Sociodemographic data and data on fatigue, work capacity, and quality of life were collected during the second half of 2017 and first half of 2018.
UNASSIGNED: All participants were men. Mean participant age was 52.6 (± 7.2) years, and most (70.4%) of them did not finish elementary school. The strongest correlations were found between the physical, overall, and total fatigue domains and the World Health Organization Quality of Life - BREF and between the total and mental fatigue domains and the Work Ability Index. Strong correlations were also found between overall and total fatigue and the total St. George\'s Respiratory Questionnaire score.
UNASSIGNED: Silicosis and physical workload have a negative impact on respiratory quality of life and perception of fatigue among miners.
UNASSIGNED: Fatores associados ao ambiente de mineração podem contribuir para acidentes e menor autocuidado no trabalho, podendo afetar a qualidade de vida e a capacidade para o trabalho.
UNASSIGNED: Avaliar se a fadiga influencia a qualidade de vida e a capacidade para o trabalho dos trabalhadores de mineração com silicose.
UNASSIGNED: Trata-se de estudo transversal, desenvolvido no norte do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Foram coletados dados so cio demográficos, de fadiga, da capacidade para o trabalho e de qualidade de vida. A coleta de dados ocorreu durante o segundo semestre de 2017 e o primeiro semestre de 2018.
UNASSIGNED: Todos os participantes eram homens. A idade média dos participantes foi de 52,6 (± 7,2) anos, e a maioria (70,4%) não concluiu o ensino fundamental. Os melhores coeficientes de correlação foram alcançados entre os domínios de fadiga física, geral e total e o questionário de Qualidade de Vida da Organização Mundial da Saúde-BREF e entre os domínios totais e fadiga mental e o Índice de Capacidade para o Trabalho. Correlações fortes também foram alcançadas entre a fadiga geral e total e o escore total do Questionário de Qualidade de Vida Respiratória do Hospital São Jorge.
UNASSIGNED: A silicose e a carga de trabalho física têm influência negativa na qualidade de vida respiratória e na percepção de fadiga dos trabalhadores de mineração.

BACKGROUND: We investigated mortality in workers of the world\'s largest chrysotile mine and enrichment factories located in the town of Asbest, Russian Federation.
METHODS: This historical cohort study included all workers employed for at least 1 year between 1975 and 2010 and follow-up until the end of 2015. Cumulative exposure to dust was estimated based on workers\' complete occupational history linked to dust measurements systematically collected from the 1950s. Exposure to chrysotile fibers was estimated using dust-to-fiber conversion factors. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated as mortality rate ratios in Poisson regression models.
RESULTS: A total of 30 445 (32% women) workers accumulated 721 312 person-years at risk and 11 110 (36%) died. Of the workers, 54% had more than 30 years since their first exposure. We found an exposure-response between cumulative dust and lung cancer mortality in men. No clear association with dust exposure but a modest increase in the highest category of fiber exposure was seen for lung cancer in women. Mesothelioma mortality was increased (RR = 7.64, 95% CI = 1.18 to 49.5, to at least 80 fibers per cm3 years and RR = 4.56, 95% CI = 0.94 to 22.1, to at least 150 mg/m3 years [dust]), based on 13 deaths. For colorectal and stomach cancer, there were inconsistent associations. No associations were seen for laryngeal or ovarian cancer.
CONCLUSIONS: In this large-scale epidemiological study in the world\'s largest active asbestos mine, we confirmed an increased risk of mesothelioma with high fiber exposure and an increasing mortality for lung cancer in men with increasing dust exposure. Less clear-cut increased lung cancer mortality was seen in the women. Continued mortality follow-up is warranted.