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Respiratory health of dust-exposed Congolese coltan miners

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Abstract

Purpose

In Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), informal coltan mining has been expanding amidst increased insecurity due to armed conflicts. We investigated the impact of occupational dust-exposure on the respiratory health of Congolese coltan miners.

Methods

In total, 441 Congolese workers participated in this study, including 199 informal coltan miners and 242 office workers (controls). Information on respiratory complaints was collected using two standardized questionnaires. Physical examination (vital signs, auscultation) and lung function test (Peak Flow meter) were performed. In addition, workplace airborne PM2.5 and volatile organic compounds (VOC) concentrations were measured.

Results

Higher airborne PM2.5 (range 180–210 µg/m3) and VOC (range 1.4–2.3 µg/m3) levels were detected at coltan mining work stations as compared with control sites (19–44 and 0.5–0.8 µg/m3, respectively). All respiratory complaints and disorders were more prevalent in informal coltan miners than in controls. Additionally, a markedly lower mean PEFR was observed in coltan miners than in controls (347.93 ± 6.88 vs. 493.23 ± 67.38 L/min, respectively). Moreover, positive associations between informal coltan mining and almost all respiratory complaints were observed, except wheezing at effort and night cough. On the other hand, an inverse association was observed between lung function (PEFR) and PM2.5 exposure, between PEFR and VOC exposure, and also between PEFR and current smoking.

Conclusions

This study showed high prevalence of respiratory complaints in Congolese informal coltan miners, suggesting the necessity to implement efficient occupational safety measures and regulate this informal mining business.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the academic staff of “Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales (I.S.T.M.)” in Lubumbashi for their support to this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kamina, Kamina, Democratic Republic of Congo

    Ngombe Leon-Kabamba

  2. Research Unit, ISTM-Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

    Ngombe Leon-Kabamba, Christophe Nyembo & Numbi Oscar-Luboya

  3. School of Health Sciences and Nursing, University of Kochi, Kochi, Japan

    Nlandu Roger Ngatu

  4. Graduate School of Medicine and Graduate School of Public Health, International University of Health and Welfare (IUHW), Narita 286-8686, Japan

    Nlandu Roger Ngatu

  5. School of Public Health, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

    Sakatolo Jean-Baptiste Kakoma, Stanislas Wembonyama & Numbi Oscar-Luboya

  6. Department of Environmental Medicine, Kochi University Medical School, Nankoku, Japan

    Etongola Papy Mbelambela & Reiko Juliana Moribe

  7. Service of Occupational Medicine, Institute for Work and Health, University of Lausanne and Geneva, Epalinges-Lausanne, Switzerland

    Brigitta Danuser

Authors
  1. Ngombe Leon-Kabamba
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  2. Nlandu Roger Ngatu
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  3. Sakatolo Jean-Baptiste Kakoma
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  7. Stanislas Wembonyama
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  8. Brigitta Danuser
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  9. Numbi Oscar-Luboya
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nlandu Roger Ngatu.

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Research involving human participants and/or animals

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Authors declare they have no conflict of interest.

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Leon-Kabamba, N., Ngatu, N.R., Kakoma, S.JB. et al. Respiratory health of dust-exposed Congolese coltan miners. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 91, 859–864 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-018-1329-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-018-1329-0

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