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Excess mortality among Swedish chimney sweeps.

P Gustavsson¹, A Gustavsson, C Hogstedt

¹Department of Occupational Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

British Journal of Industrial Medicine

|November 1, 1987

Summary

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Swedish chimney sweeps faced higher mortality from heart disease, respiratory issues, and cancers. Increased lung cancer risk correlated with years worked, suggesting occupational exposure, not smoking, as the cause.

Area of Science:

Occupational Health
Epidemiology
Environmental Health

Background:

Chimney sweeping involves exposure to combustion products.
Previous studies suggest potential health risks for chimney sweeps.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate mortality patterns in Swedish chimney sweeps.
To identify specific causes of increased mortality in this occupational group.

Main Methods:

A cohort study of 5464 Swedish chimney sweeps employed between 1918-1980.
Mortality data (1951-1982) compared against national statistics.
Follow-up achieved for 98.6% of the cohort.

Main Results:

Observed 717 deaths versus 540 expected deaths.

Related Experiment Videos

Elevated mortality from coronary heart disease and respiratory diseases.

Significantly increased lung cancer mortality, correlated with years employed.

Fivefold increased risk for esophageal and liver cancer.

Conclusions:

Occupational exposure to combustion products is a likely cause of increased mortality.
Smoking habits do not appear to explain the observed excess mortality.
This study highlights the long-term health risks associated with chimney sweeping work.