China sees drop in new pneumoconiosis cases

China recorded 23,152 new pneumoconiosis cases in 2013, a drop of 1,054 from the previous year, the country's health authority said on Monday.

Pneumoconiosis is a disease of the lungs caused by the inhalation of large amounts of dust or particulate matter.

Of the new cases, 13,955 were coal workers and 8,095 were silicosis sufferers, according to figures released by the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

The pneumoconiosis cases accounted for 87.7 percent of the country's total new occupational disease cases, which also included 637 acute occupational poisonings, 904 chronic occupational poisonings and 1,700 others.

Occupational disease cases from the coal, nonferrous metals, machinery and construction sectors accounted for more than 73 percent of the annual total.

Figures also showed that last year there were 284 acute occupational poisoning accidents, leaving 637 people poisoned, 25 of them fatally.

According to the commission, the number of institutions offering occupational health checkups and diagnosis hit 3,437 and 603 respectively in 2013, up 360 and 41 respectively from the previous year.