ILO U/C 1971 International Classification of Radiographs of the Pneumoconioses

Our plain-English summary of ILO U/C 1971 International Classification of Radiographs of the Pneumoconioses, by George Jacobson, William S. Lainhart (1972).

The study

• Authors: George Jacobson, William S. Lainhart
• Published: Medical Radiography and Photography, Vol. 45, No. 3, pp. 65-110 (Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y.); reprint, edited by G. Jacobson and W. S. Lainhart (1972)
• Type of article: Journal article
• Our copy: from Johns-Manville's own medical library, J-M no. 000618. The article is still under copyright, so we describe it here rather than post it.

In plain English

This is not a research study. It is a description of the ILO U/C 1971 International Classification of Radiographs of the Pneumoconioses, a system for recording dust-related changes on chest X-rays in a standard way. The text supplied is marked as reprinted from a 1972 issue of Medical Radiography and Photography, edited by George Jacobson and William S. Lainhart. It does not itself show how it relates to the book chapter named in the citation. The text explained that the scheme came out of a meeting in Penarth, Wales, in April 1971, where experts shared their experience with the UICC/Cincinnati 1968 Classification. It covered dusts including coal, silica, carbon, asbestos and beryllium. It set out how to grade small rounded opacities and small irregular opacities, the latter described as typically seen in asbestosis. It also gave rules for grading large opacities, pleural thickening and pleural calcification. Uncalcified pleural plaques and pleural effusion were given new symbols, and all additional symbols were made obligatory. The text stated that the classification does not set legal definitions for compensation.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Description of a radiographic classification scheme (not a research study), with example standard reference radiographs
• Who was studied: No study population. The scheme is illustrated with ILO Standard Reference Radiographs.
• Exposure: Inhalation of mineral dusts, including coal, silica, carbon, asbestos and beryllium
• Main results:
  • The classification grew out of an April 1971 meeting in Wales where experts exchanged experience with the UICC/Cincinnati 1968 Classification
  • Small rounded opacities are typed by diameter. The largest type covers opacities exceeding about 3 mm and up to about 10 mm; the middle type begins above about 1.5 mm.
  • Small irregular opacities are divided into fine, medium and coarse (blotchy) types. They are described as characteristically seen in asbestosis but may also be seen in diatomite workers and coal workers.
  • In the Short Classification, profusion of small opacities uses four basic categories (0, 1, 2 and 3) rather than the 12-point scale
  • Pleural thickening width grade a is less than about 5 mm thick at the widest part of any pleural shadow
  • Pleural calcification extent is graded 0 to 3 by the sum of greatest diameters. Grade 2 covers more than about 2 cm but not more than about 10 cm.
  • Two new symbols were added, ef for pleural effusion and pq for uncalcified pleural plaque. All additional symbols were made obligatory.
  • The classification does not set legal definitions of pneumoconiosis for compensation purposes
• The authors' conclusion: The text gave the strongest argument for combining the ILO 1968 and U/C classifications as the benefit of uniform international standards and of being able to compare results
• Limitations the authors state:
  • No radiographic feature is uniquely the result of dust exposure
  • Further research is needed on a more detailed assessment of profusion when it differs markedly between lung zones

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Chest X-Ray, UICC, Pleural Thickening, Pleural Calcification, Pleural Plaques, Pleural Effusion.

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