[Occupational diseases in Poland, 2004]

Our annual analysis of the epidemiology of occupational diseases is intended to indicate morbidity categories characterized by the highest risk of developing pathologies associated with working conditions and to assay variations in the frequency of those pathologies, depending on occupational exposure, medical factors, social and economic circumstances, legal regulations, and ongoing transformation of the national economy.

This work is based on the data compiled from "Occupational Disease Reporting Forms" received by the Central Register of Occupational Diseases in 2004. The data comprised information on individual diseases, gender and age of patients, and duration of occupational exposure to harmful agents responsible for the development of specified pathologies. These data were further classified by sectors of the national economy and voivodships (provinces). The incidence was specified in terms of the number of cases per 100,000 paid employees and per 100,000 employed persons.

In Poland, the number of occupational diseases diagnosed in 2004 accounted for 3790 cases. The incidence rate was 41.0 cases per 100,000 paid employees. The highest incidence rates were noted for: chronic disorders of the voice organ (9.5 per 100 thousand), pneumoconioses (8.1), contagious and parasitic diseases (5.8), permanent bilateral hearing loss (5.5) and skin diseases (2.0). As much as 72.4% of patients affected by occupational diseases, had been exposed to harmful agents for longer than 20 years. In the industrial sectors of the national economy, the highest incidence was noted among workers employed in the mining industry (328.9 cases per 100,000 paid employees), particularly in coal mining (380.1). The highest incidence rates were recorded in the Lubelskie (122.0 cases) and Silesian (85.6 cases per 1000 workers) voivodships.

The incidence of occupational diseases in Poland continues to abate. The downwards trend is primarily due to a lower incidence of hearing loss and chronic diseases of the voice organ.