General Medical Conditions and Occupational Diseases in Workers Engaged in Crude Nickel and Copper Production

Abstract

Introduction: Working conditions in the production of crude nickel and copper pose an increased risk of occupational diseases. Objective: To collect new data on health disorders in workers engaged in the production of crude nickel and copper in the Arctic. Materials and methods: We analyzed general medical conditions and occupational diseases in 760 workers engaged in the production of crude nickel and copper in 2008–2020. Results: Nickel compounds, workplace air concentrations of which exceed the permissible exposure limit by 7.6–157.0 times in various unit process areas, represent the main occupational hazard in converter matte processing. According to the regular check-up data for 2008, the most prevalent general medical conditions included diseases of the eye (18.4 %), musculoskeletal (14.7 %) and respiratory (12.5 %) systems. Every 10-year increment in the length of service was associated with an increase in the incidence of diseases of the musculoskeletal, circulatory and endocrine systems (p < 0.001) in the workers. In 2009–2020, 91 occupational diseases were first diagnosed in 50 of 760 employees, among which respiratory diseases prevailed (68.9 %), and the average annual incidence rate was 0.998 cases per 100 workers. Mill and smelter operators (16.7 % and 13.4 % of all workers, respectively) were at higher risk of developing an occupational disease, and their annual incidence rates were 1.389 and 1.122 cases per 100 workers, respectively. We observed a clear dose-response relationship between the exposure and occupational disease rates in the workers concerned: occupational diseases developed in 32.9 % of workers with very high occupational exposure and in 17.6 %, 12.0 %, 2.0 %, and 0.3 % of workers exposed to high, medium, moderate, and low levels of airborne nickel compounds. Conclusion: We have obtained new data on non-occupational and occupational disorders in the crude nickel and copper production workers enabling early and targeted disease prevention.