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Mortality Among Hardmetal Production Workers: US Cohort and Nested Case-Control Studies
Gary M Marsh1, Jeanine M Buchanich, Sarah Zimmerman
1Center for Occupational Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Department of Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Dr Marsh, Dr Buchanich, Ms Zimmerman, Ms Liu, Dr Balmert); Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (Dr Esmen, Dr Kennedy).
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
|December 8, 2017
Summary
This study found no increased lung cancer mortality risks for hardmetal workers exposed to tungsten, cobalt, or nickel. Overall mortality and cancer deaths were also not elevated in this worker cohort.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Epidemiology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Hardmetal production involves exposure to metals like tungsten, cobalt, and nickel.
- Concerns exist regarding potential respiratory health risks, particularly lung cancer, in these workers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess total and cause-specific mortality, with a focus on lung cancer.
- To investigate potential exposure-response relationships for lung cancer mortality.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 7304 US hardmetal production workers employed between 1952 and 2008 was studied.
- Vital status and cause of death data were collected through 2012.
- Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and relative risk regression were used to analyze mortality and exposure.
Main Results:
- Overall mortality, all cancer deaths, and lung cancer deaths were lower than expected in the cohort.
- No evidence of exposure-response relationships for lung cancer mortality was found.
Conclusions:
- Exposure to tungsten, cobalt, or nickel at levels experienced by these workers did not increase lung cancer mortality risk.
- Employment in the US hardmetal industry was not associated with increased mortality from other causes.
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