ENVIRONMENT

Coal miners urged to look after their hearts

QUEENSLAND researchers have found that coal miners in Queensland and New South Wales are no more likely to die from coronary heart disease than the rest of the Australian population

Staff Reporter

However, Carmel Bofinger, safety and training centre manager, and Bruce Ham, mining engineer, from Simtars, the Safety in Mines Testing and Research Station at Redbank, said there were several factors that indicated an increased risk could be expected in the future.

These risk factors included high blood pressure and being overweight, all of which were influenced by lifestyle. Work-related factors such as stress, shift work, heat (particularly above 27 degrees C) and noise all played a part. Air quality in the workplace, especially particulate matter in the air, could also contribute to an increased risk.

Bofinger was speaking at the 13th Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference at Jupiters Hotel in Townsville on 6 August and organised by the Queensland Mining Council, Department of Natural Resources and Mines and mining companies.

She said Simtars, a part of the Department of Natural Resources and Mines, undertook the Australian research because coal miners in the USA were found to have an increased risk of dying from heart attack compared with the rest of the population. However, there was not an overall increase in risk from cardiovascular disease generally.

"Australia's Joint Coal Board Health and Safety Trust funded our research to see whether the same risk was present amongst Australia's coal miners.

"As part of the project we established the death rate from coronary heart disease data for coal miners from 1996 to 2000 and established the current incidence of heart disease. We then identified the risk of heart disease associated with both lifestyle and work-related factors. We then compared this information with the rest of the Australian population," Bofinger said.

"We also know that workers tend to be healthier than the general population; this is known as the 'healthy worker' effect. This will also affect the death rate compared with the general population."

Bofinger said coronary heart disease and stroke were the most common fatal cardiovascular diseases, but there was no significant difference between coal miners and the general population.

There was considerable difference in the incidence of high blood pressure between the mining community and the general community. Both Queensland and New South Wales miners had higher blood pressure than the general population, though this varied for workers entering the industry, miners at routine medical check-ups and for the 55-64 age group. The reasons for the reported high blood pressure are being further investigated.

In all age groups, more coal miners were overweight than the same age groups in the general population, but there was no significant difference between entrants to the industry, miners or contractors. Levels of general physical inactivity for the miners was the same as for the rest of Australia.

Bofinger said alcohol use was another risk factor for heart disease.

"Hazardous alcohol use is based on five or more drinks for five or more days a week. The level of hazardous alcohol use in the general population is 8% and this was reflected in the mining industry. Unfortunately, in the mining industry there was a high level of hazardous use of alcohol in the 18-24 age group."

She said coal miners maintained a reasonable diet, but more fruit and vegetables, and grains and cereals would be an improvement.

Although exposure to noise in coal mining is controlled by regulation in Queensland and New South Wales, measurements indicated that noise levels in underground and surface coal mines did exceed set limits some of the time. This increased noise level could contribute to the incidence of coronary heart disease in the mining industry.

Bofinger said another contributing risk factor facing miners was balancing shiftwork, family and social life. More than 80% of coal miners worked some form of shift arrangements and 10-20% of them had problems balancing work, family and social life.

NOTE: Coronary heart disease is the major cardiovascular cause of death and was the largest single cause of death in Australia. It consists mainly of acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and angina. Overall, males were almost twice as likely to die from coronary heart disease as females in 1998, with males aged 25-64 having death rates three to five times those of females. Non-fatal heart attacks were three times more common among men than women in the 35-69 age group.

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