A cross-national perspective on silicosis: incidence, occupational settings, and trends

Background: Historically, silicosis is a disease of miners, but the last decade witnessed outbreaks in occupational settings not traditionally associated with silica exposure. Evidence from other countries may ground awareness and control of re-emergent risks.

Methods: Incident cases of occupational diseases, ranking and trends were analysed within 2012-2016, respectively within 2007-2016 for silicosis using a cross-national comparative study. Labor force profile and occupation were additional data used to identify similarities and differences between Romania and Israel. The incidence rates for silicosis extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 were compared to national, continental, and global level.

Results: Between the two countries, the ratio was 1:1.5 for musculoscheletal disorders, 1:3 for respiratory diseases, 1:4 for noise-induced hearing loss, and 1:10 for silicosis. Regarding silicosis, three major diffences were found, namely: the burden of disease, the trend of incidence (ascending in Israel; descending in Romania), and the occupational setting (coal miner in Romania; artificial stone worker in Israel). Globally, Romania was among countries with high incidence of silicosis in 2017.

Conclusion: Silicosis was a national issue of concern at the time, but vigilance should continue, given the severity of this disease and the occurrence of other silica-related diseases.