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D Kielkowski

Publications and source records attributed to D Kielkowski.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Asbestos in the non-mining industry on the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION: For many decades, and until fairly recently, asbestos was commonly found in most sectors of South African industry. Consequently there is a large but indeterminate pool of formerly exposed workers, some of whom will present to medical practitioners for evaluation of possible asbestosis, the pneumoconiosis caused by the fibre. Fundamental to the diagnosis of asbestosis is a history of asbestos exposure sufficient to cause the disease. Attending practitioners need to be aware of the common asbestosis-inducing industries and jobs and the duration of exposure reported by patients if we are to obtain and interpret their exposures. This paper describes asbestos exposure in 141 cases of asbestosis. METHODS: Cases were identified from patient records at the Occupational Medicine Clinic of the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH, formerly NCOH), for the years 1980-2000. Patients were only included in the series if they had no asbestos exposure in mining, if they had been certified with asbestosis by a compensation panel, and if on re-reading of the chest radiograph a radiologist reported irregular opacities (profusion 1/0 or greater on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) scale). Asbestos exposure was taken from the patient's records. RESULTS: Only one patient was exposed in an industry where asbestos was incidental to the enterprise's operation, while 54% of cases arose from exposure in primary asbestos industries, i.e. companies selling, distributing, refining, milling or using raw asbestos to manufacture products. The mean reported duration of exposure was 17.5 years. Surprisingly, 21 cases (15%) reported less than 5 years' exposure. Unexpectedly, 7 cases had a latency period from first exposure to diagnosis of less than 6 years. CONCLUSION: The data presented should assist practitioners in the purposeful exploration of asbestos exposure and in interpretation of its significance with regard to asbestosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Tobacco attributable deaths in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: In mid 1998, a question "Was the deceased a smoker five years ago?" was introduced on the newly revised South African death notification form. DESIGN: A total of 16,230 new death notification forms from 1998 have been coded, and comparison of the prevalence of smoking among those who died of different causes was used to estimate, by case-control comparisons, tobacco attributed mortality in South Africa. Cases comprised deaths from causes known (from other studies) to be causally associated with smoking, and controls comprised deaths from medical conditions expected to be unrelated to smoking. Those who died from external causes, and from diseases strongly related to alcohol consumption, were excluded. SUBJECTS: Reports were available from 5340 deceased adults (age 25+), whose smoking status was given by a family member. RESULTS: Significantly increased risks were found for deaths from tuberculosis (odds ratio (OR) 1.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.23 to 2.11), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.9 to 3.4), lung cancer (OR 4.8, 95% CI 2.9 to 8.0), other upper aerodigestive cancer (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.9 to 4.9) and ischaemic heart disease (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.3). CONCLUSION: If smokers had the same death rate as non-smokers, 58% of lung cancer deaths, 37% of COPD deaths, 20% of tuberculosis deaths, and 23% of vascular deaths would have been avoided. About 8% of all adult deaths in South Africa (more than 20 000 deaths a year) were caused by smoking.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Occupational respiratory diseases in South Africa--results from SORDSA, 1997-1999.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the nature and extent of work-related respiratory diseases reported to the national Surveillance of Work-related and Occupational Respiratory Diseases in South Africa (SORDSA) reporting scheme. The causative agents and industrial categories in which they occurred are also characterised. DESIGN: Voluntary monthly reporting of newly diagnosed cases by pulmonologists, occupational medicine practitioners and occupational health nurses. SETTING: Medical and occupational health referral centres in the nine provinces of South Africa. SUBJECTS: Cases were workers from non-mining industries or ex-miners, suffering from a newly diagnosed occupational respiratory disease, reported to SORDSA between October 1996 and December 1999. OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequencies of reported occupational respiratory disease by year, reporting source, province and sex. Frequencies of short- and long-latency diseases by industry and causative agent. RESULTS: There was incomplete reporting coverage of the nine provinces in the first 3 years. Reporting was most comprehensive from Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. Diseases with long latency periods made up 76.2% of the cases. Pneumoconiosis, even in non-mining industries, was the most frequently reported disease, followed by inhalation accidents. Occupational asthma was the fourth most reported disease. Apart from the prominence of pneumoconiosis, the results obtained by SORDSA are similar to those from a British occupational lung disease surveillance scheme. This study showed that newly diagnosed cases of occupational lung disease occurred in many industries and were caused by a variety of agents. CONCLUSION: SORDSA has contributed insight into the nature, extent and distribution of occupational respiratory diseases in South Africa. It has also highlighted important causes of occupational respiratory diseases in South Africa, as well as hazardous industries. The data indicate that South Africa has a widespread occupational lung disease problem, and provide a platform for targeted prevention strategies.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2000

Risk of mesothelioma from exposure to crocidolite asbestos: a 1995 update of a South African mortality study.

OBJECTIVE: To find the risk of developing mesothelioma in a cohort born in 1916-36 in Prieska, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. METHODS: A birth cohort mortality study was carried out in a small town in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa, with a history of crocidolite asbestos mining and milling. The cohort comprised all white births registered in the magisterial district of Prieska from 1916 to 1936, inclusive (2390). Causes of death due to mesothelioma and other cancers as recorded on medical certificates of cause of death were investigated. Person-years analysis was used to calculate mortalities due to mesothelioma, other respiratory cancers, and other non-respiratory cancers. Proportional cancer mortalities were also calculated for mesothelioma and other specific neoplasms. RESULTS: The follow up rate for the cohort was 74.3% in 1995, and 683 traced members (38.6%) had died. Cause of death was unknown for 6.4% of deaths. There were 118 cases of cancer, 28 of them from mesothelioma, giving a cause specific mortality for mesothelioma of 277 (170-384) per 10(6) person-years. The rates for men and women were 366 and 172 per 10(6) person-years, respectively. The mortality for lung cancer (29 deaths) was 287 (135-436) per 10(6) person-years, and that for other non-respiratory cancers (60 deaths) was 593 (442-745). Two cases of laryngeal and four of colon cancer were observed. All cancer mortality, mesothelioma, and lung cancer proportional cancer mortality ratios were increased. CONCLUSION: The mortality for mesothelioma in men was twice that in women, probably because men were more likely to have had both occupational and environmental exposure to asbestos. Nevertheless, the mortality in women was still high and is probably indicative of the environmental exposure as white women were rarely employed in the asbestos industry in the Prieska area. Due to the long latency from first exposure to diagnosis of the neoplasm, the cause specific mortality in this cohort could be expected to increase rapidly over the next 10 years.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Respiratory health and immunological profile of poultry workers.

OBJECTIVES: To examine work-related respiratory symptoms in poultry workers, and to test for immunologically mediated responses to poultry-related agents. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of differentially exposed poultry workers and unexposed blue-collar workers. SETTING: Three poultry farms and a poultry plant in Gauteng (exposed workers) and a municipal workers' clinic in Johannesburg (controls). PARTICIPANTS: 134 poultry workers (85.4% of all eligible workers) and 122 controls (> 95% response rate). OUTCOME MEASURES: Respiratory symptoms plus allergy and hypersensitivity to poultry agents identified by skin-prick tests, and by the presence of specific IgE and IgG enzyme-linked immunoflow assay and nonspecific (radial immunodiffusion) antibodies. RESULTS: Smoking habits and atopic status were similar in the poultry workers and the controls. Symptoms were very common in poultry workers, for example work-related cough in 32% and work-related wheeze in 23% of highly exposed workers. Significantly more poultry workers than controls complained of chest symptoms (increasing with increasing exposure), and of eye, skin and nose irritation at work. More poultry workers than controls had symptoms consistent with asthma (e.g. 3%, 4%, 13% and 11% in controls and subjects with low, medium and high exposure, respectively), and symptom complexes associated with organic dust exposure. Five poultry workers had positive skin-prick test reactions to poultry-specific antigens, but none of the unexposed controls reacted. More poultry workers than controls had positive immunodiffusion test reactions to chicken feed, feathers and serum, and IgE to chicken faeces. There was no association between immunological status and respiratory symptoms. CONCLUSION: We found a very high prevalence of exposure-related symptoms in poultry workers; improved hazard control is strongly indicated. Tests of allergy and hypersensitivity were associated with exposure, but not with disease. The possibility of useful tests of sensitisation has not been excluded; a prospective study design is likely to be more rewarding than cross-sectional approaches such as in this study.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1996

Occupational disease trends in black South African gold miners. An autopsy-based study.

The change in prevalence in silicosis and pulmonary tuberculosis in black South African gold miners dying from unnatural causes from 1975 to 1991 was studied. Data were analyzed for 16,454 black gold miners. Information on age at death, duration of service, year of autopsy examination, and the prevalence of silicosis and tuberculosis was collected. Analyses were done to assess secular trends in the prevalence of tuberculosis and silicosis, and to determine predictors of the diseases at death. The prevalence of tuberculosis increased from 0.9% in 1975 to 3.9% in 1991. The prevalence of silicosis increased from 9.3% to 12.8%. The prevalence of both diseases increased with age and duration of service. Silicosis was the most significant predictor of tuberculosis (odds ratio [OR] = 1.78, confidence limits [CL] = 1.27 to 2.30). A significant trend for tuberculosis, for year of autopsy, remained after adjustment for the other variables in the model, such as age and duration of service (p = 0.0046). In view of current labor stabilization in the South African mines, one can expect further increases in the prevalence of tuberculosis and silicosis. Lowering of dust levels in the mines is urgently required to prevent the increase of disease burden.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Platinum salt sensitivity in refinery workers: incidence and effects of smoking and exposure.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the incidence of platinum salt sensitivity (PSS) in refinery workers and examine the influence of cigarette smoking and exposure to platinum salts on sensitisation. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study with examination of workers at quarterly intervals for 18 months, and again at 24 months. SETTING: A South African primary platinum refinery. SUBJECTS: 78 new recruits, selected by the refinery's usual procedure, without apparent atopy and in good respiratory health. RESULTS: After 24 months 32 (41%) subjects had been diagnosed PSS and were subsequently medically separated. Twenty two (28%) cases were confirmed by positive skin prick test to platinum salts, 10 (13%) cases were symptomatic but skin prick negative. Incidence of cases per 100 person-months was 1.9 skin prick positive and 0.8 negative. Risk of sensitisation was about eight times greater for smokers than non-smokers, and six times greater for high exposure than low exposure. CONCLUSION: Smoking and intensity of exposure were definitely associated with development of PSS. Positive responses to platinum salt skin prick test had a 100% positive predictive value for symptoms and signs of PSS if exposure continued.

Asthma↗
PubMed1994

Reflections on trauma and violence-related deaths in Soweto, July 1990-June 1991.

This is a retrospective analysis of 5,600 deaths registered in Soweto from July 1990 to June 1991. The impact of trauma and violence on the overall mortality pattern was assessed. The majority of deaths occurred in people under the age of 50 years and more men died than women. In 40% of male deaths, the cause was stated as 'ill-defined' or 'unknown'; this was the case in an even higher percentage of female deaths (50.5%). Trauma or violence accounted for 28.5% of all deaths. The gender difference was particularly visible in the trauma category, viz. 89.5% and 10.5% in men and women respectively. Young men (20-29 years) were particularly affected by trauma and violence-related deaths (38.5%). The major types of injuries inflicted were gunshot wounds (33%), unspecified multiple injuries (32%) and stab wounds (27%). Motor vehicle accidents accounted for only 8% of deaths. The urgent need for intervention programmes to prevent unnecessary loss of life, targeted especially at young adults and children, is highlighted.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Cor pulmonale and silicosis: a necropsy based case-control study.

The presence of cor pulmonale at death in relation to other factors such as emphysema, silicosis, and thromboembolism was analysed in a case-control study of 732 South African gold miners. Marked emphysema was the highest risk factor with an odds ratio of 21.32 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 5.02-90.7), then extensive silicosis (OR 4.95, 95% CI 2.92-8.38) and thromboembolic disease (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.37-2.69). Age and smoking were not significant predictors of cor pulmonale.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Solvent exposure, alcohol consumption and liver injury in workers manufacturing paint.

Liver enzyme activity was examined in 89 South African paint makers currently exposed to a mixture of organic solvents at fairly low levels. However, the duration of exposure was substantial for many. Fifty-eight workers (65%) had at least one enzyme value above the upper reference limit. Gamma glutamyl transferase (gamma GT) activity was elevated in 46% of the workers and aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) in 52%. In a comparison between workers with high and low solvent exposure, the gamma GT and ASAT values were higher in the most exposed group (eg, gamma GT mean 108 versus 69 U.l-1, P > 0.05). Adjustment for confounding by alcohol consumption and body mass index eliminated the differences due to exposure. It was concluded that the measures of liver injury used did not demonstrate solvent-induced hepatic damage but that excessive alcohol consumption was an important factor.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

The proposed death certificate for South Africa. Part I. Death certificate description.

An altered 'Cause of Death' certificate is proposed. The major changes involve the use of the international format for certification of death and provision for collection of extra data, i.e. estimated age at death, sex, population group and, where relevant, the mass of an infant at birth. The new format will facilitate improved data collection and the certificate will stand international comparison.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1992

The proposed death certificate for South Africa. Part II. Feasibility study.

The proposed new death certificate was tested in urban and rural hospitals and among general practitioners. Of the 471 death certificates returned, 70% were correctly completed. The underlying cause of death was identifiable in 86.6% of cases. The accuracy of cause of death statements was analysed in greater detail. Some items on the proposed form were not clear and needed improvement, i.e. instructions to mark an applicable answer and refer to instructions on the reverse page. The participants completed a questionnaire to assess and comment on the new form. A refined version thereof was prepared as a result of this study.

Cause of Death↗
PubMed1991

The prevalence and age distribution of peripheral pulmonary hamartomas in adult males. An autopsy-based study.

This autopsy-based study defined the prevalence and age distribution of peripheral pulmonary hamartomas in 47,635 southern African miners examined between 1975 and 1988. The prevalence rate for white miners was 7.5/1,000 and for black miners 1.1/1,000. When directly standardised to the white men in the general population, the rates for white and black miners were 7.2 and 5.5/1,000, respectively. The prevalence of peripheral pulmonary hamartomas in both groups increased with age, from 0.8/1,000 in the third decade to 12.0/1,000 in the eighth decade. The study showed a much higher prevalence of peripheral pulmonary hamartomas for whites than previously reported. Furthermore, it documented the occurrence of these benign lung tumours in blacks, a fact that has previously been questioned. There appeared to be no significant difference in prevalence and age distribution between white and black miners, although the database for the black group was deficient for the later decades of life.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The relation between fibrosis of hilar lymph glands and the development of parenchymal silicosis.

The necropsy findings on the cardiorespiratory organs of 849 South African gold miners were analysed to test the hypothesis that fibrosis of the hilar lymph glands predisposes to the development of parenchymal silicotic nodules. Four hundred and eighty three cases had fibrosed glands, 34% of which also had parenchymal silicosis. By comparison, of 238 cases with silicosis, 88% had fibrosed glands. The proportion of cases with both silicosis and fibrosed glands, as well as those with gland fibrosis only, increased with increasing duration of exposure. As far as can be ascertained from a necropsy series such as this, it is possible that fibrosis of the lymph glands may predispose to the development of lung parenchymal silicosis.

Fibrosis↗
PubMed1990

Mortality of an asbestos-exposed birth cohort. A pilot study.

A pilot study on the health effects of environmental exposure to asbestos (in particular the development of mesothelioma) is almost complete. This is a record linkage study, using birth and death records as the primary sources of data. The vital status and, if applicable, the cause of death was examined for each of the 1227 members of the 'pilot' cohort (birth years 1932-1936). Preliminary results are presented. Eighty-seven per cent (399) of the white cohort members have been traced and the vital status of each has been determined. Sixty-six whites have died, 6 from mesothelioma. It is almost impossible to trace the black and coloured cohort members and the main study, covering the years of birth 1917-1936, may have to be restricted to whites.

Aged↗