Mortality of professional chemists in England and Wales, 1965-1989

Several studies on the mortality of chemists have revealed a lower overall mortality but an excess of deaths from certain diseases, in particular, cancers. This study determined the causes of mortality of 4,012 chemists among 14,884 members of The Royal Society of Chemistry who were followed for a period of 25 years. The results demonstrated consistency with other studies. There was an overall low mortality rate, with fewer deaths than expected from cancers, but an excess mortality from lymphatic and hematopoietic cancers, in particular leukemias. There was an excess of deaths from certain gastrointestinal cancers. There was reduced mortality from respiratory diseases, including lung cancers, and from cardiovascular disease. New findings reported in this study are increased mortality from cancers of the duodenum and kidney, certain skin cancers, mental disorders, and diseases of the nervous system.