Quartz-induced Scleroderma in Miners in the former Uranium Ore Mining (Wismut AG)

As part of the reappraisal of the legacy of Wismut AG, 12 patients with silica-induced scleroderma among underground uranium ore mine workers (Wismut AG) under long-term exposure to silica fine dust, as well as radon and its daughter products, during the 1960s and 1970s are reported on. Silica-induced scleroderma is clinically, serologically and immunologically indistinguishable from idiopathic systemic sclerosis. In experimental studies, endothelial cells, monocytes and fibroblasts, as well as their synthesis rates and the release of cytokines and chemokines, were activated by silica fine dust in a way that is consistent with the pathophysiological processes in idiopathic systemic sclerosis. It was not possible to achieve recognition of silica-induced systemic sclerosis as an occupational disease in Germany.

Automated summary

The study reported 12 cases of silica-induced scleroderma among underground uranium ore mine workers who were exposed to silica fine dust, radon, and its daughter products in the 1960s and 1970s. Silica-induced scleroderma is clinically, serologically, and immunologically similar to idiopathic systemic sclerosis, with silica fine dust activating cells and releasing cytokines and chemokines. Despite this, silica-induced systemic sclerosis has not been officially recognized as an occupational disease in Germany.