Abstract:

Objective To analyze the incidence and trends of reported occupational diseases in Wujin District of Changzhou City from 2006 to 2023，and provide a basis for formulating prevention and control strategies. Methods Data on occupational disease cases in Wujin District of Changzhou City were collected from the "Occupational Disease and Health Hazard Factors Monitoring Information System"，and descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze demographic，temporal，and industrial distribution patterns. Results From 2006 to 2023，a total of 290 new cases of occupational diseases were reported，covering 5 major categories and 24 specific types. The primary diseases were occupational pneumoconiosis（172 cases，59.31%），occupational chemical poisoning（55 cases，18.97%），and occupational ear，nose，and throat（ENT）/oral diseases（49 cases，16.90%），collectively accounting for 95.17% of all cases. Silicosis was the main type of pneumoconiosis（145 cases，84.30%）. Acute poisoning dominated chemical poisoning cases（37 cases，67.27%），primarily involving other chemical poisonings，carbon monoxide poisoning，and dimethylformamide poisoning. Chronic poisoning was mainly caused by benzene（10 cases，55.56%）. Noise-induced deafness was the predominant ENT/oral disease（47 cases，95.92%）. The overall incidence of occupational diseases in the district showed an initial increase followed by a decline，peaking in 2021（41 cases，14.14%）. Among the cases，259 were male（89.31%） and 31 were female（10.69%）. The mean age of diagnosis was （54.95±0.82）years，with the highest proportions in the 40-<50 and 50-<60 age groups（67 cases each，23.10%）. The mean length of service was （12.67±0.51）years，with the 16-<21 year group being the largest（64 cases，22.07%）. There was a statistically significant difference in the composition of disease types among different length of service groups（χ²=220.047，P<0.01）. Cases were concentrated in the mining（133 cases，45.86%） and manufacturing（129 cases，44.48%） industries，with statistically significant differences in disease type distribution between industries（χ²=274.481，P<0.01）. Small enterprises accounted for 77.24% of cases，and private enterprises（134 cases，46.21%） and state-owned/collective enterprises（123 cases，42.41%） were the predominant types. There were statistically significant differences in the disease type distribution among different enterprise scales and economic types（χ²=28.323，208.205，both P<0.05）. Conclusion Occupational hazards remain severe in Wujin District of Changzhou City. Pneumoconiosis，chemical poisoning，and noise-induced deafness are key targets for prevention and control. Efforts should be strengthened to enhance occupational health supervision and protective measures in the mining and manufacturing industries，as well as in small，private，and state-owned/collective enterprises.

Key words: Occupational diseases, Incidence trend, Pneumoconiosis, Chemical poisoning, Epidemiological characteristics