Occupational diseases in Mongolia during 1986-2006

1. Occupational diseases in Mongolia during 1986-2006 Shagdarsuren Oyunbileg and Jung Der Wang Institute Of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, During that period, pneumoconiosis and tuberculosis were slightly decreased, however, dust induced chronic bronchitis was nearly doubled. Occupation specific the rates amountedto 15.6 per million person-years for excavator driver heavy truck driver, 22.3for repairmen, welder and 19.2 for driller, cutter hewer and operator machinist. II. Objectives In this study, we intended to establish the national cohort of patients with different occupational diseases and determine the incidence rates and proportions of major occupational respiratory diseases (ORD). • III. Methods • During the last 3 decades, there were 4598 patients • registered on the database of the National Centre for • Occupational Diseases. The follow-up period for this retrospective cohort study began on January 1986 and continued through December 2005. • Total number of labors by gender and age-group for the • last 3 decades was collected from labor insurance • database of the State Social Insurance General • Office, Mongolia Table 1. Age specific incidence rates (ASIR), cumulative incidence rate ( CIR30-59) and standardized incidence ratios (SIR) for ORD in low and high exposure levels to dusts and stratified by different time periods IV. Result The majority of patients were male (76.4%) and 36-55 years old (73.7%). Mean age was 47±5 years and meanworking years was 17±3 years. About 90% of patients ever worked under high exposure to particles and dusts and 7.6% under low exposure. Male sex predominated in practically all type of ORD, except asthma and more frequently in who are working as drillers, cutters, or hewers for more than 5 years in coal and mineral mining factories. Pneumoconiosis was 40 times higher for males than that of females, aged older than 50s (65.1%). One fourth of health care and laboratory workers have suffered from asthma. *Adjusted to the total employed population of Mongolia as standard weights †Using rates of non-exposed group as the reference, but adjusted to the weights of total employed population in Mongolia # Adjusted to both rates and weights of total employed population in Mongolia Slightly increased tendencies of all age specific incidence rates were observed in each age strata and each exposure level. Although the results showed that CIRs for workers in the high level exposure did not seem to increase through different time periods, the numbers of workers in that level has increased almost 4 times, which certainly increased the absolute numbers of new cases. V. Conclusion We concluded that it has become increasingly important to prevent the occupational diseases and injuries by improving the working conditions, the knowledge and skills of workers on occupational health and safety, and enhancing the qualifications and training of occupational health and safety specialists and industrial hygienists. The annual incidence rate per 10-6 person-years of ORD was increased by almost 2 times and musculoskeletal diseases by 5 times, skin disease by 4 times during the last 2 decades.