Related Experiment Videos
Mortality among rubber workers. III. Cause-specific mortality, 1940-1978
Journal of Occupational Medicine. : Official Publication of the Industrial Medical Association
|October 1, 1981
Summary
Mortality among rubber plant workers shows excess bladder cancer and leukemia deaths. Recent data also indicate increased risks for esophageal, liver, and other cancers, suggesting ongoing occupational exposure concerns.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Epidemiology
- Environmental Medicine
Background:
- A cohort of 29,087 rubber plant workers with at least two years of employment was studied.
- Mortality data from 1940 to mid-1978 were analyzed, with a focus on recent follow-up (1974-1978).
- Comparisons were made to U.S. general population mortality rates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess mortality patterns in rubber workers over a long period.
- To identify potential excesses in specific cancer types among workers.
- To evaluate the impact of occupational exposures on worker health.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort mortality study.
- Comparison of observed deaths to expected deaths based on U.S. general population data.
- Analysis stratified by race, sex, and union membership.
Main Results:
- Excess deaths from bladder cancer and leukemia were observed in white male union members during both study periods.
- During recent follow-up, excesses were also noted for esophageal cancer, biliary and liver cancer, and lymphoma/multiple myeloma in white male union members employed for at least five years.
- These findings suggest persistent or unmitigated occupational exposures.
Conclusions:
- Observed excesses in bladder cancer and leukemia are likely linked to workplace exposures in the rubber industry.
- The recent increases in other cancer types suggest that occupational exposures may not have been adequately reduced or that latency periods are long.
- Further research is needed to confirm the etiological role of occupational factors in these observed cancer excesses.