TABLE 1
Occupational Lung Disease Deaths by Age for Residents in the United States, 1995–2004 and 2005–2014
Occupational Lung Disease
Age (Years)
15–24 #
25–34 #
35–44 #
45–54 #
55–64 #
65–74 #
75–84 #
≥85 #
Total #
1995–2004 *
Asbestosis and related exposure
0
1
14
156
1,051
3,815
6,010
2,316
13,363
Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis and related exposure Silicosis and related exposure Byssinosis and related exposure All pneumoconiosis and related exposure Malignant mesothelioma Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
6
18
56
197
491
2,020
4,609
3,609
11,006
1 0
4 2
32
71
212
514
652
341
1,827
2
4
10
20
34
19
91
7
26
117
471
1,921
6,890
12,384
6,413
28,229
15
45 10
226
788
2,287
4,533
5,848
1,637
15,379
1
17
55
71
134
181
71
540
Total deaths
30
106
464
1,742
6,043
17,926
29,718
14,406
70,435
2005–2014
Asbestosis and related exposure
0
0
2
76
612
2,507
5,773
4,054
13,024
Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis and related exposure Silicosis and related exposure Byssinosis and related exposure All pneumoconiosis and related exposure Malignant mesothelioma Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
12
31
66
250
429
835
1,627
1,551
4,801
1 2
5 0
21
49
144
273
419
255
1,167
0
2
5
5
11
8
33
16
39
96
413
1,337
3,948
8,352
6,347
20,548
14
87
290
1,064
3,675
7,708
10,132
4,314
27,284
1
5
19
87
195
257
262
152
978
Total deaths
46
167
494
1,941
6,397
15,533
26,576
16,681
67,835
*Years covered are 1999–2004.
manifest at older age, years after the initial exposures (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1983). The age-related trend for work-related respiratory diseases is reversed for the U.S. mortality data for 2019 and 2020, showing the highest number of deaths in the age group ≥85 age years (Murphy et al., 2021; NIOSH, n.d., 2008; Table 2; Figure 4). This trend suggests that age aects the severity, morbidity, and mortality associated with occupational lung diseases. With the push to increase the age of retirement, it is possible that older adults are being forced out of work before retirement because of the negative impact of occupational lung disease on this population (De Matteis et al., 2017).
In this review, we evaluate the significance of aging on occupational lung diseases and dis- cuss the implications for older adults and the age-related eect on lung diseases, including cellular and physiological responses to envi- ronmental pollutants. We also discuss occupa- tional lung disease-associated mortality in the U.S. from 1995–2004 and from 2005–2014. Methods Tables and figures were generated and modified from publicly available databases at govern- ment and regulatory agencies such as NIOSH, the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion (CDC), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (Murphy et al.,
2021; NIOSH, n.d., 2008). We also conducted an extensive literature search on current infor- mation on the eects of age on occupational lung disease, disease surveillance, and the impact of these work-related respiratory dis- eases on older adults and the eorts to protect this population and all workers.
Results and Discussion
The Aging Lung and Disease Aging is a significant risk factor for the devel- opment of virtually every lung disease. Many of the important hallmarks of aging are found in the aging lung, and these changes contribute to the high incidence of lung diseases in older
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October 2024 • Journal of Environmental Health
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