Occupational disease claims and non-occupational morbidity in a prospective cohort observation of nickel electrolysis workers

Abstract Exposure to nickel aerosol in the nickel production is associated with greater occupational risk, yet little is known how many workers will develop an occupational disease and claim compensation. The aim of this analysis was to prospectively observe a cohort of nickel electrolysis workers a...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sergei Syurin, Denis Vinnikov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2022-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-11241-5
_version_ 1817976371048087552
author Sergei Syurin
Denis Vinnikov
author_facet Sergei Syurin
Denis Vinnikov
author_sort Sergei Syurin
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Exposure to nickel aerosol in the nickel production is associated with greater occupational risk, yet little is known how many workers will develop an occupational disease and claim compensation. The aim of this analysis was to prospectively observe a cohort of nickel electrolysis workers and quantitatively assess confirmed occupational disease claims. We observed a cohort of nickel electrolysis workers (N = 1397, median age 39, 68% males) from 2008 till 2020 in one of the largest nickel producers in the Russian High North. Cumulative incidence of confirmed occupational disease claims in seven occupational groups, including electrolysis operators, hydrometallurgists, crane operators, final product cleaners, metalworkers, electricians and ‘other’ was analyzed and supplemented with Cox proportional hazards regression, yielding hazard ratios (HR) with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) of occupational disease claims for each group. N patients with occupational disease claims varied from 1 in 2016 to 22 in 2009, and in total 87 patients developed one or more occupational diseases (cumulative incidence 6.2%, p < 0.001 between seven groups). Accounting for 35,527 person-years of observation in total, cleaners exhibited the greatest risk (HR 2.58 (95% CI 1.43–4.64)), also adjusted for smoking, number of non-occupational diseases and group 2 (hydrometallurgists). Smoking was independently associated with having an occupational disease claim in all groups (p < 0.001), as was the number of non-work-related diseases in six groups of seven. Despite consistent improvement in the exposure control measures in nickel production, occupational morbidity persists. More effort is needed to reduce exposure in final product cleaners.
first_indexed 2024-04-13T22:01:45Z
format Article
id doaj.art-f5ad3d710bb84f419dbf2cc6725c6866
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2045-2322
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-13T22:01:45Z
publishDate 2022-04-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Scientific Reports
spelling doaj.art-f5ad3d710bb84f419dbf2cc6725c68662022-12-22T02:28:04ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-04-011211710.1038/s41598-022-11241-5Occupational disease claims and non-occupational morbidity in a prospective cohort observation of nickel electrolysis workersSergei Syurin0Denis Vinnikov1Northwest Public Health Research CenterAl-Farabi Kazakh National University, Al-Farabi Kazakh National UniversityAbstract Exposure to nickel aerosol in the nickel production is associated with greater occupational risk, yet little is known how many workers will develop an occupational disease and claim compensation. The aim of this analysis was to prospectively observe a cohort of nickel electrolysis workers and quantitatively assess confirmed occupational disease claims. We observed a cohort of nickel electrolysis workers (N = 1397, median age 39, 68% males) from 2008 till 2020 in one of the largest nickel producers in the Russian High North. Cumulative incidence of confirmed occupational disease claims in seven occupational groups, including electrolysis operators, hydrometallurgists, crane operators, final product cleaners, metalworkers, electricians and ‘other’ was analyzed and supplemented with Cox proportional hazards regression, yielding hazard ratios (HR) with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) of occupational disease claims for each group. N patients with occupational disease claims varied from 1 in 2016 to 22 in 2009, and in total 87 patients developed one or more occupational diseases (cumulative incidence 6.2%, p < 0.001 between seven groups). Accounting for 35,527 person-years of observation in total, cleaners exhibited the greatest risk (HR 2.58 (95% CI 1.43–4.64)), also adjusted for smoking, number of non-occupational diseases and group 2 (hydrometallurgists). Smoking was independently associated with having an occupational disease claim in all groups (p < 0.001), as was the number of non-work-related diseases in six groups of seven. Despite consistent improvement in the exposure control measures in nickel production, occupational morbidity persists. More effort is needed to reduce exposure in final product cleaners.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-11241-5
spellingShingle Sergei Syurin
Denis Vinnikov
Occupational disease claims and non-occupational morbidity in a prospective cohort observation of nickel electrolysis workers
Scientific Reports
title Occupational disease claims and non-occupational morbidity in a prospective cohort observation of nickel electrolysis workers
title_full Occupational disease claims and non-occupational morbidity in a prospective cohort observation of nickel electrolysis workers
title_fullStr Occupational disease claims and non-occupational morbidity in a prospective cohort observation of nickel electrolysis workers
title_full_unstemmed Occupational disease claims and non-occupational morbidity in a prospective cohort observation of nickel electrolysis workers
title_short Occupational disease claims and non-occupational morbidity in a prospective cohort observation of nickel electrolysis workers
title_sort occupational disease claims and non occupational morbidity in a prospective cohort observation of nickel electrolysis workers
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-11241-5
work_keys_str_mv AT sergeisyurin occupationaldiseaseclaimsandnonoccupationalmorbidityinaprospectivecohortobservationofnickelelectrolysisworkers
AT denisvinnikov occupationaldiseaseclaimsandnonoccupationalmorbidityinaprospectivecohortobservationofnickelelectrolysisworkers