[Mortality in a cohort of workers working with pulp and paper]

Mortality among workers in the Polish pulp and paper industry was evaluated in retrospective cohort study of 10460 workers who had been employed continuously for at least one year between 1968 and 1990 in the factory producing sulphate pulp, paper, board and paper products. A standardized mortality ratio (SMR) analysis was used to compare death rates for the exposure group with Polish national rates. For all the subjects death due to all causes and all malignant neoplasms were lower than the number expected. The only significantly increased risks were those of malignant neoplasm of brain among women (4 cases, SMR = 318) and of retroperitoneum and peritoneum among men (2 cases, SMR = 659), exposed to high level of wood dust and irritant sulphur compounds. The authors could not find any etiological explanation of the excessive mortality from brain and peritoneum cancers.