Abstract Introduction Pneumoconiosis (PC) and chemical-induced interstitial lung diseases (CILD) are serious occupational lung conditions in the U.S., often linked to long-term exposure in industrial settings. Despite prevention efforts, mortality remains elevated, with notable disparities by demographic and geographic factors. Methods The mortality data from the CDC WONDER multiple cause of death files for adults aged ≥25 were used retrospectively to analyze age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 for PC and CILD (ICD-10 Codes: J60-J70), stratified by year, gender, race/ethnicity, and geography. Joinpoint regression was used to estimate average annual percent change (AAPC) and annual percent change (APC) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Statistical significance was defined as p 0.05. Results From 1999 to 2020, 1,352,467 deaths were attributed to PC and CILD, mostly in hospital inpatient settings. The overall AAMR declined from 33.8 in 1999 to 25.31 in 2020 (AAPC: -1.30; 95%CI: -2.13 to -0.46; p = 0.002), with a significant reduction observed from 2002 to 2008 (APC: -3.76; p = 0.001). Adults aged ≥65 experienced the highest mortality among all age groups (AMMR: 130.10). Both genders exhibited a downward trend in AAMRs, with men consistently showing nearly double the rates compared to women (40.55 vs 20.6). By race, AAMRs were greatest in Non-Hispanic (NH) Blacks (29.29), followed closely by NH Whites (28.74), and lowest in NH Asian or Pacific Islanders (18.58). Rural areas (31.19) reported higher mortality than urban areas (27.88). Regionally, the AAMRs peaked at 30.53 in the South. At the state level, Washington, Tennessee, and Kentucky ranked highest in the top 90th percentile. Conclusion PC and CILD-related mortality has declined over the past two decades, but it continues to disproportionately affect NH Black and NH White adults, men, and those in Southern and rural areas. Focused public health strategies and risk-based surveillance are essential to reduce preventable deaths and address persistent disparities. This abstract is funded by: None
Tang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.