Occupational diseases in Poland--an overview of current trends

Our plain-English summary of Occupational diseases in Poland--an overview of current trends, by N. Szeszenia-Dąbrowska, U. Wilczyńska (International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 2013).

The study

• Authors: N. Szeszenia-Dąbrowska, U. Wilczyńska
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
• Published: 2013;26(3):457-70
• Cited by: 11 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Introduction: The number of occupational diseases (OD) recorded in Poland in the 1990's rapidly increased, and the number of recognized cases has steadily decreased until now. Hence, it was decided to demonstrate the trends of selected pathologies which in Poland are "underestimated" in comparison to other countries. The presented data may constitute a basis for further research into the dependence of OD on socio-economic factors.

Materials And Methods: Occupational Disease Reporting Forms, completed and sent obligatorily by the state health inspectors to the Central Register of Occupational Diseases were used as source documents for analysis. This work analyzes changes in the incidence of chronic poisonings, asbestosis, voice organ diseases, cancers, viral hepatitis, asthma and the musculoskeletal disorders over the years 1998-2011.

Results: In 1998, the total number of registered diseases reached the maximum - 12,017 cases, which fell in the subsequent years to 2,562 cases in 2011. During that period, the incidence rate decreased by 6 cases per year per 100,000 employees. A considerable decrease, exceeding 90% of cases, was observed in voice organ disorders, hearing loss, chronic poisonings and viral hepatitis. The abovementioned changes, as well as improved detection of asbestos-related diseases through implementing a medical examination program of former asbestos processing plant workers, are advantages of the current situation in the epidemiology of OD. However, the disadvantages include underestimation, in comparison to other countries, of asthma, cancer and pathologies of the musculoskeletal system.

Conclusion: The reported data indicates the need to assess the occupational fraction of the underestimated pathologies present in the work environment in Poland, as well as the need for studies aimed at clarifying the effect of systemic factors on identifying their occupational background.

In plain English

This article was an overview of occupational diseases recognized in Poland from 1998 to 2011. It used mandatory reports to the Central Register of Occupational Diseases, which recorded 70,265 recognized cases over the period. The yearly total fell from 12,017 cases in 1998 to 2,562 in 2011, 78.7% lower. Recognized asbestosis numbered 86 cases in 1998, 173 in 2001 and 63 in 2011. The authors reported an increase after a 2001 program of medical examinations of former asbestos workers. Asbestosis diagnosed in 2008–2011 had an average latency period of 39 years, and 59.2% of those 355 cases were recognized at pensionable age. In Poland, asbestosis is recognized as an occupational disease from X-ray category 1/1. In chest X-rays of 3423 former asbestos plant workers, using category 1/0 would have raised recognized asbestosis by 13% overall. Asbestos was the leading cause, in about 50% of occupational lung cancer cases. Of an average 199 mesothelioma cases yearly in Poland's general population in 2006–2008, 11.6% were recognized as occupational. The authors concluded that asthma, cancer and musculoskeletal disorders are underestimated compared with other countries.

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: Descriptive analysis of national occupational disease register data, with linear trend analysis (least squares), 1998–2011
• Who was studied: All occupational disease cases recognized in Poland and reported to the Central Register of Occupational Diseases, 1998–2011 (70,265 cases). For asbestosis, the analysis also used chest X-rays of 3423 former workers of asbestos processing plants, taken 2001–2010 under the Amiantus project.
• Exposure: Various occupational exposures. For asbestos, the exposure was work in asbestos processing plants, grouped by product type: asbestos-cement, textile, packings and seals, frictional, and hydroinsulating. Manufacture of asbestos products in Poland stopped in 1998. The article did not name fiber types.
• Main results:
  • All recognized occupational diseases in Poland fell from 12,017 cases in 1998 to 2562 in 2011, a decrease of 78.7%.
  • Recognized asbestosis cases were 86 in 1998, 173 in 2001, 112 in 2008, 92 in 2009, 88 in 2010 and 63 in 2011.
  • The authors reported a rise in asbestosis cases after the 2001 program of medical examinations of former asbestos workers.
  • Asbestosis cases diagnosed in 2008–2011 had an average latency period of 39 years.
  • Among 355 asbestosis cases recognized in 2008–2011, the mean duration of exposure was 14.7 years (standard deviation 8.7), and 59.2% were recognized at pensionable age.
  • Under the ILO classification, diagnosis of asbestosis relies on X-ray opacities with densities starting from 1/0.
  • In Poland, asbestosis is recognized as an occupational disease from radiographic category 1/1.
  • Among former asbestos plant workers examined in 2001–2010, using the international threshold (from 1/0) would increase the number with recognized asbestosis by 13% overall. The increase ranged from 8% among workers producing roofing products, asphalt and filter masses to 26% among those producing sealing.
  • Asbestos was the major causal factor for occupational lung cancer, in approximately 50% of cases.
  • In 2006–2008, the mean annual number of mesothelioma cases in Poland's general population was 199, of which 11.6% were recognized as occupational diseases.
  • In 1998–2011, mesotheliomas made up 15.4% of recognized occupational tumors in Poland.
  • In 1998–2011, cancers recognized as occupational made up about 0.1% of all new cancer cases in Poland's general population.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that assessments of the occupational fraction are needed, particularly for asthma, malignant neoplasms and musculoskeletal disorders, which they considered underestimated in Poland compared with other countries. They also called for study of the systemic factors that affect how occupational diseases are recognized.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors cautioned that the trends reflect the combined medical and legal nature of the term 'occupational disease'. Recognized case numbers are therefore influenced by medical, socio-economic and policy factors.
  • The authors noted that the low number of recorded poisonings may reflect under-registration.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Occupational Disease, Incidence, Epidemiology.

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