Causes of death of blue-collar workers at a Dublin brewery, 1954--73

The suggested association between high consumption of beer and an increased risk of death from cancer of the colon and rectum was investigated among blue-collar workers at a Dublin brewery, who consume more than average amounts of beer, usually in the form of stout. A study of their mortality between 1954 and 1973 showed that they had as good an expectation of life as all Dublin males, with no increased risk of death from cancer of the oesophagus, pharynx, liver or of cirrhosis of the liver, accidents or suicide, conditions normally associated with the high consumption of alcohol. They had significantly increased risk of death from cancer of the rectum and also from diabetes mellitus. Twenty per cent of the workers, differentiated by their place of work within the brewery, had a much higher risk of death from cancer of the rectum.