[Prevalence of penumoconiosis in a steel-plant (author's transl)].

Chest X-rays of 483 steel workers employed in the same factory were examined by the authors and classified according to the ILO U/C 91971 classification for pneumoconiosis. The prevalence of pneumoconiosis was found to be 8.4%. The majority of the positive cases were detected among the furnace workers and then among press and rolling-mill workers. Only one positive case was found among the workers of the other foremen. It is stated that the furnace is the main source of pollution and that the lack of protective systems spreads the risk also to the surrounding working sites. No significant differences were found for the opacity features.