Industrially acquired pulmonary disease

Our plain-English summary of Industrially acquired pulmonary disease, by A.H. Lebovits (Advances in Psychosomatic Medicine, 1985).

The study

• Author: A.H. Lebovits
• Journal: Advances in Psychosomatic Medicine
• Published: 1985;14:78-92
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This 1985 book chapter was a narrative review, not a new study. The author reviewed the small body of research on the psychological and health-behavior side of lung disease acquired at work, with much of the focus on asbestos. The studies described included the author's own earlier work. In one, a study of 38 malignant mesothelioma patients, 79% had a smoking history, and none of the smokers stopped after learning of their increased risk. Denial of the danger was the most frequent reaction to risk information. In a later evaluation, 45% of 36 mesothelioma patients received a computer-derived diagnosis of a depressive disorder. The figure was 14% among pipecoverers without mesothelioma and 6% among 48 postal workers. A separate study by Li and colleagues found 43% current smokers among asbestos-exposed shipyard workers. The author noted a lack of psychiatric research in this area. The author concluded that the psychiatric evaluation of a worker with an industrially acquired disease should consider the chronic stress and adaptations of the at-risk phase.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Narrative review (book chapter) of psychosocial and health-behavior research on industrially acquired pulmonary disease; no new data collected for this article
• Who was studied: Studies of industrial workers with, or at risk for, occupational lung disease, including mesothelioma patients, asbestos workers (pipecoverers), asbestos-exposed shipyard workers, coal miners with black lung, granite workers and factory workers
• Exposure: Industrial dusts and toxic substances, especially asbestos (listed as associated with asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma), plus silica, coal dust and others; also smoking and job stress
• Main results:
  • In an earlier study by Lebovits et al. of 38 malignant mesothelioma patients, 79% had a positive smoking history, and none of the smokers stopped after receiving increased-risk information
  • In the same earlier study, denial of the danger was the most frequent psychological response to risk information
  • In later work by Lebovits and colleagues, 45% of 36 mesothelioma patients received a computer-derived diagnosis of a depressive disorder, compared with 14% of asbestos workers (pipecoverers) without mesothelioma and 6% of a comparison group of 48 postal workers
  • In the Lebovits and colleagues sample of asbestos workers educated about the risk, 32% were current smokers and another 45% had smoked in the past
  • Li et al. found 43% current smokers among asbestos-exposed shipyard workers
  • Lebovits found that 78% of asbestos workers had a relative in the trade, and that asbestos workers knew an average of 11 workers who had developed an asbestos-related disease
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that the psychiatric evaluation of a worker with an industrially acquired disease should consider the chronic stress and adaptations of the at-risk phase
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The author stated that there has been little psychiatric research or clinical study of industrially acquired pulmonary disease
  • The author noted that one reviewed intervention program (Thompson and Willis) presented no data on its effectiveness

Related studies

• Pulmonary disease caused by the inhalation of cosmetic talcum powder — I.P. Wells, P.A. Dubbins, et al. (1979)
• Role of oxidants in interstitial lung diseases: pneumoconioses, constrictive bronchiolitis, and chronic tropical pulmonary eosinophilia — W.N. Rom (2011)
• Pulmonary function of control and industrially exposed Nigerians in asbestos, textile, and toluene diisocyanate-foam factories — U.G. Oleru (1980)
• Characterization of the lower respiratory tract inflammation of nonsmoking individuals with interstitial lung disease associated with chronic inhalation of inorganic dusts — W.N. Rom, P.B. Bitterman, et al. (1987)
• Surveillance of respiratory diseases among construction and trade workers at Department of Energy nuclear sites — J.M. Dement, L. Welch, et al. (2003)
• The effect of cigarette smoking on the detection of small radiographic opacities in inorganic dust diseases — P.D. Blanc, G. Gamsu (1988)

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