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Pernicious anaemia in the textile industry
1Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford.
British Journal of Industrial Medicine
|May 1, 1991
Summary
Textile mill work may increase the risk of pernicious anaemia. This study found textile workers had more deaths from pernicious anaemia, especially those in mills.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Hematology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- An excess mortality from anaemia was observed in textile and clothing workers.
- The specific type of anaemia and occupational activity linked to this excess mortality required investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if excess anaemia mortality in textile workers is linked to specific anaemia types or occupations.
- To investigate the association between pernicious anaemia and textile mill work.
Main Methods:
- A death certificate-based case-control study was conducted.
- Data from textile and clothing workers who died in England and Wales around 1961, 1971, and 1981 censuses were analyzed.
- Anaemia type, residence, birthplace, and occupation were key outcome measures.
Main Results:
- Textile and clothing workers showed a higher frequency of pernicious anaemia deaths compared to the general population.
- Workers who died from pernicious anaemia were over twice as likely to have worked in textile mills (OR=2.4).
- Historical data supported a higher mortality ratio for pernicious anaemia in male textile mill workers.
Conclusions:
- Occupational factors, particularly working in textile mills, are potentially implicated in the development of pernicious anaemia.
- Further research into pernicious anaemia among textile mill workers is warranted due to the unclear aetiology of the disease.