Black Lung Disease among Coal Miners: First Ever Evidence from Indonesia’s National Coal Production Report

Indonesia, the largest coal supplier worldwide, has continued striving to boost its coal production annually, causing high coal dust exposure among coal miners. This study aimed to investigate and identify specific factors influencing the incidence of black lung disease among coal miners in Indonesia. A retrospective longitudinal investigation was conducted at three coal mines across Indonesia to primarily analyze data from annual medical checkup programs spanning from 2013 to 2021. Data were sourced from Indonesia’s national coal production records, coal mining data records, and black lung disease statistics to calculate annual incidence rate changes in order to quantify fluctuations in incidence rates over the given period. Logistic regression analysis was employed to determine the associations between individual characteristics and job details and the occurrence of black lung disease. Trend analysis indicated a consistent growth in coal production across Indonesia over the past 10 years, with an increase of at least 24.49%. During this period, annual chest radiographies of Indonesian coal mine workers revealed 112 cases of black lung disease (13.88%). Moreover, several variables, such as age (AOR, 1.052; 95% CI, 1.023–1.082), smoking status (yes) (AOR, 1.895; 95% CI, 1.268–2.832), job location (field) (AOR, 22.431; 95% CI, 10.751–46.802), work experience (AOR, 1.901; 95% CI, 1.709–2.116), and the size of the mining company (small) (AOR, 0.430; 95% CI, 0.199–0.927), were found to be significant predictors of black lung disease incidence among coal miners. The rise in Indonesian coal production has increased the incidence of new black lung disease among coal mine workers throughout the country. Implementing appropriate occupational health interventions and early disease detection measures would be highly beneficial for these workers given their ability to help avoid severe health consequences associated with coal exposure.