Potential years of life lost (PYLL) and potential years of work lost (PYWL) because of pneumoconiosis were studied using the data from the Nationwide Epidemiological Study on Pneumoconioses in China. The cases were patients diagnosed with pneumoconiosis between 1949 and 1986. The subjects studied for PYLL included 74 741 cases ranging in age from 15 to 75 years, while for PYWL there were 74 224 cases with 1 to 35 years of remaining employment experience. Overall there were 1 489 692 potential years of life lost, and there was an average of 19.9 years for all pneumoconioses. Silicosis had the greatest mean PYLL with an average of 22.1 years. Coal workers' pneumoconiosis was the second leading cause of PYLL with an average of 17.0 years. The mean PYWL for all pneumoconioses was 19.7 years, and the mean PYWL from silicosis was 21.5 years. The conclusion was reached that silicosis is the most serious pneumoconiosis in China with regard to years of life lost, and chronic respiratory diseases such as chronic pulmonary disease and tuberculosis are the main causes of death for patients with pneumoconiosis.

Key terms China; cohort follow-up; pneumoconioses; potential years of life lost; potential years of work lost; silicosis