Incidence Of Silicosis And Silicotuberculosis In Coal And Stone Industry In The State Of Chhattisgarh

ABSTRACT

Silicosis is an occupational disease reported in silica, stone & mining industry. No proper report on workers in industries using silica in stones and coal has been done from Chhattisgarh till date. Detailed history, lung functions and chest x-ray were done. Diagnosis was made on the basis of radiology & history. Data analysis was done with the help of the statistical package for social sciences software. The Chi-square test was used for determining the relationship between qualitative data and descriptive statistics was used where required. Out of the total 16 reported cases, 13 had respiratory symptoms. Radiological abnormalities were noted in all. Lung functions revealed obstruction in 25%, restriction in 12.5 %, while mixed ventilatory defects in 62.5% subjects. 16 cases of silicosis and silicotuberculosis were reported. They had high respiratory morbidity (81.25%), cough and dyspnea being predominant symptoms. Duration of exposure correlates with radiological findings and increased incidence of silicosis