Objective To study the epidemiological characteristics of deaths due to pneumoconiosis and its complications in order to improve the prevention and management of pneumoconiosis.

Methods The pneumoconiosis deaths who died during 1959‒2019 in Chongming District of Shanghai were investigated and analyzed retrospectively by the descriptive epidemiological methods. The correlation of the age of onset and the course of disease was analyzed by Spearman rank correlation，as well as the duration of dust exposure and the course of disease in pneumoconiosis patients.

Results From 1959 to 2019， there were 226 pneumoconiosis deaths， 223 males （98.67%）. The mortality of silicosis was the highest （82.07%）. The age of onset of pneumoconiosis was negatively correlated with the course of disease （r_s =-0.596，P<0.001）.There was no correlation between the duration of dust exposure and the course of disease in pneumoconiosis patients （r_s =-0.107，P=0.109）.There were statistically significant differences in mortality among groups in different types and stages of pneumoconiosis（χ²=59.250，27.666，both P<0.05）. The mortality increased with the increase of stage of pneumoconiosis. The mortality of pneumoconiosis was significantly different in 1959‒1979， 1980‒1989， 1990‒1999， 2000‒2009 and 2010‒2019 （χ²=29.750， P<0.05）. The top three causes of death in pneumoconiosis cases were respiratory diseases， malignant tumor and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Conclusion It is suggested to further strengthen the health monitoring and management of pneumoconiosis patients，control lung and chronic respiratory diseases to delay the life expectancy and improve quality of life of pneumoconiosis patients.