@article{956a71b30b834caaa0871e5d171dc7ce,
title = "Trends in exposure to respirable crystalline silica (1986-2014) in Australian mining",
abstract = "Background: Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) has been associated with severe health risks. Exposures in Western Australia (WA) have been typically high in hard-rock mining and have reduced substantially since the mid-1900s. We described trends in RCS exposure in WA miners over the past 30 years. Methods: A total of 79 445 reported personal RCS exposure measurements, covering the years 1986-2014, were examined. Mixed-effects models were applied to estimate RCS exposure levels, including spline terms to estimate a time trend. Results: An overall downward trend of about −8% per year was observed for RCS exposures in WA mining. Highest RCS exposure levels were modeled for base metal mining and exploration settings. Drilling occupations were among the highest exposed jobs. Conclusion: RCS exposure levels have fallen considerably in the last three decades. However, there are still mining occupations that may need further attention to avoid adverse health effects in these workers.",
keywords = "miners, occupational exposure, personal exposure, quartz, temporal trend",
author = "Susan Peters and Roel Vermeulen and Lin Fritschi and Musk, {AW Bill} and Alison Reid and {de Klerk}, Nicholas",
note = "Funding Information: This work was performed within the scope of projects funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC grant #1069535) and the WA Institute of Respiratory Health (Alan King Westcare grant 2016). LF is supported by fellowships from the NHMRC and Cancer Council Western Australia. The CONTAM exposure database has been provided by the WA Department of Mines and Petroleum, and the authors thank Mike Rowe and David Petersen for their assistance in the data provision. This work was performed within the scope of projects funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC grant #1069535) and the WA Institute of Respiratory Health (Alan King Westcare grant 2016). LF is supported by fellowships from the NHMRC and Cancer Council Western Australia. Steven Markowitz that he has no competing or conflicts of interest in the review and publication decision regarding this article. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.",
year = "2017",
month = aug,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1002/ajim.22740",
language = "English",
volume = "60",
pages = "673--678",
journal = "American Journal of Industrial Medicine",
issn = "0271-3586",
publisher = "Wiley-Liss Inc.",
number = "8",
}