Coal Mining as a Rsk Factor for Tuberculosis – Commodity or Circumstance?
Despite unclear causality, a targeted intervention in South African coal mines drastically cut TB incidence by over 70%, proving effective.
The association of tuberculosis (TB) with the mining industry is well known in South Africa. This may well be true for gold mining and silica exposure. However, a description of the pathophysiological link between coal mining and TB is not clearly detailed in the literature with many articles citing associations rather than direct causality. A focused intervention of active case-finding and treatment in coal mines in South Africa resulted in a dramatic reduction in the incidence of TB of more than 70% compared to historical figures and substantially below the national incidence as well.
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