Pneumoconiosis Department

The Department of Pneumoconiosis (Occupational Disease Clinical Medicine) of Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University (Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Hospital) is among the first batch of National Key Clinical Specialties in Occupational Diseases and is one of the earliest professional teams in China to carry out the prevention and treatment of pneumoconiosis. Since the 1980s, as a principal participating institution, it has participated in the National Science and Technology Commission’s “Eighth Five-Year Plan” scientific and technological research project 《Research on Treatment Measures for Silicosis and Evaluation of Their Efficacy》 and the “Ninth Five-Year Plan” research projects 《Research on the Efficacy of Combined-Medication Treatment for Silicosis and Comprehensive Evaluation Methods》 and 《Research on Combined-Medication Treatment of Pneumoconiosis》. During the “Tenth Five-Year Plan” period, it undertook 《Research on Key Technologies for Occupational Health Surveillance of Pneumoconiosis Patients and Dust Protection》. In 1999, the Department of Pneumoconiosis was integrated from the Shanghai Institute of Labor Health and Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment into Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital (Shanghai Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Hospital). It participated in revising the 2002 and 2009 editions of China’s GBZ 70 《Diagnostic Criteria for Pneumoconiosis》 and formulated the national 《Standard Radiographs for the Diagnosis of Pneumoconiosis》. In recent years, under the leadership of nationally renowned pneumoconiosis experts, including Li Dehong, it has been responsible for formulating GBZ 70-2015 《Diagnosis of Occupational Pneumoconiosis》; participated in the formulation and revision of multiple diagnostic standards and guidelines, including GBZ 25-2014 《Pathological Diagnosis of Occupational Pneumoconiosis》; participated in revising the International Labour Organization (ILO) 《Guidelines for the Classification of Pneumoconiosis Radiographs》 (2020 edition) and the standard radiographs; and led the drafting of 《Chinese Expert Consensus on the Treatment of Pneumoconiosis (2018 edition)》, the first “expert consensus” published in China’s field of occupational medicine, which has had a strong influence in the field of occupational diseases. In 2022, it served as the second principal drafter of 《Chinese Expert Consensus on Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Pneumoconiosis (2022 edition)》. In 2024, it served as the first principal drafter of 《Chinese Expert Consensus on the Treatment of Pneumoconiosis (2024 edition)》. It participated in revising the 2022 edition of the International Labour Organization’s Guidelines for the Classification of Pneumoconiosis Chest Radiographs. Relying on the Occupational Disease Clinical Research Center of Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University (Shanghai Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Hospital), in 2017 the Department of Pneumoconiosis took the lead in China’s occupational disease field in conducting multicenter clinical trials of pneumoconiosis-related medical devices and new drugs and established a pneumoconiosis sample resource bank.

The Department of Pneumoconiosis currently has 12 doctors and 60 beds, with an average of 1255 inpatients and 9810 outpatient visits annually. The Department of Pneumoconiosis admits and treats patients with occupational pulmonary diseases, primarily providing diagnosis and treatment for pulmonary diseases caused by industrial dust, including pneumoconiosis, pneumoconiosis due to dust from metals and their compounds, hard-metal lung disease, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and pulmonary tumors and mesothelioma caused by asbestos.