Dashboard Presents Data on Silicosis in the United Kingdom
A dashboard launched by researchers at the University of Manchester provides information about silicosis in the United Kingdom. Users can view data on confirmed cases by year, region, gender, and industry. As of Sept. 3, 18 cases of silicosis and 14 cases of engineered stone silicosis have been confirmed in the U.K. so far this year. Based on data on confirmed cases of all silicosis in the U.K., the average age at diagnosis with silicosis is 58, while the average age of individuals diagnosed with engineered stone silicosis is 42. The dashboard shows totals of 391 cases of silicosis and 58 cases of engineered stone silicosis in the U.K. since 1996, but “[t]hese data likely underestimate the true case numbers,” according to a document that provides further details about the dashboard’s data (PDF).
“The risk of underestimation is likely to be exacerbated in silicosis due to many cases being asymptomatic in early stage, misdiagnosis as other conditions (for example sarcoidosis), and a long latent period between exposure and diagnosis,” the document explains. “Risk of underreporting is further exacerbated as the numbers of people exposed to [respirable crystalline silica] in the UK is not known, so accurate denominator data is not available to calculate incidence rates.”
The dashboard is modeled after California’s Engineered Stone Silicosis Surveillance Dashboard and was developed using data from The Health and Occupation Research (THOR) network, which monitors the incidence of work-related illnesses in the U.K. THOR is partly funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, and has several voluntary reporting schemes that collect data in the U.K. One is the national surveillance scheme SWORD, or the Surveillance of Work-related and Occupational Respiratory Disease, which is also funded by HSE. The U.K.’s silicosis dashboard contains data on both natural and engineered stone silicosis cases reported to SWORD from 1996 and onward.
A news article published by the University of Manchester describes the dashboard as a way “to make occupational respiratory disease data more accessible to researchers, policymakers, occupational health professionals, and others with an interest in worker health and safety.” The new U.K. silicosis dashboard is publicly accessible via the THOR website.