NIOSHTIC-2 Publications Search

Rapidly progressing pulmonary fibrosis in a retired shipyard worker.

Tumpowsky CM; Moy EV; Chin A

SENSOR Occup Lung Dis Bull 1997 Apr; :1-2

https://www.mass.gov/lists/occupational-lung-disease-bulletins

20042763

In the evaluation of the Bulletin conducted last summer, many of you indicated that you would like us to provide interesting case studies illustrating the difficulties in diagnosing occupational lung diseases. This month we present a case study written by two occupational medicine residents from Harvard School of Public Health describing asbestosis in a retired carpenter. As many as 10,000 workers employed in Massachusetts shipyards during the 1950's and 1960's may have been exposed to asbestos. Other industries in the state with potential asbestos exposures include construction, plumbing, textile manufacturing, and asbestos abatement. Since 1992, SENSOR has received 122 reports of asbestosis in Massachusetts. Because the lag time between initial asbestos exposure and the onset of disease can be as long as 40 years, the number of individuals with asbestos related diseases continues to grow each year despite the reduction in asbestos exposures in recent years. It is estimated that a minimum of 3600 Massachusetts workers will develop asbestos related lung diseases between 1991 and 2010. It is important that physicians continue to recognize the health problems associated with asbestos exposure and to understand the challenges in diagnosing asbestos related diseases.

Occupational-diseases; Occupational-health; Lung-disease; Work-environment; Occupational-exposure; Respiratory-system-disorders; Pulmonary-system-disorders; Bronchial-asthma; Employee-exposure; Occupational-respiratory-disease; Health-care; Surveillance-programs; Lung-irritants; Case-studies; Airway-resistance; Lung-fibrosis; Shipyards; Shipyard-workers; Woodworkers; Asbestos-dust; Asbestosis; Asbestos-fibers

Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Surveillance Program, 250 Washington Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02108

1332-21-4

19970401

Other

Cooperative Agreement

1997

Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-CCU-103010

SENSOR Occupational Lung Disease Bulletin

MA

Massachusetts State Department of Public Health