[Autopsy analysis of 90 workers exposed to workplace dusts]

An analysis of 90 autopsy cases of workers exposed to workplace dusts showed that the older they were the higher the positive rate of pneumoconiosis and the more serious the pathological changes in the lungs. All the cases over 65 years of age were diagnosed with pneumoconiosis. The positive rate of pneumoconiosis diagnosed by pathology was associated with the duration of exposure to workplace dusts. The positive rate was 67.92% in cases exposed to workplace dusts for over 10 years and 93.3% in those exposed for over 30 years. 63.3% of all the autopsy cases reported here were given the diagnosis of pneumoconiosis after pathological examination, whereas only 13.3% were diagnosed clinically before they died. These data demonstrate the importance of autopsy in the diagnosis of pneumoconiosis.