Cause‐specific mortality and cancer morbidity in 390 male workers exposed to high purity talc, a six‐decade follow‐up

• Published in: American journal of industrial medicine Vol. 60; no. 9; pp. 821 - 830
• Main Authors: Wergeland, Ebba, Gjertsen, Finn, Vos, Linda, Grimsrud, Tom K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.09.2017
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cancer; Cause of Death; Circulatory system; Dust; epidemiology; Exposure; Fatalities; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Males; Middle Aged; Mining; Morbidity; Mortality; Neoplasms - etiology; Neoplasms - mortality; Norway - epidemiology; Occupational Diseases - etiology; Occupational Diseases - mortality; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Occupational health; Pneumoconiosis; Quartz; Respiratory diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases - etiology; Respiratory Tract Diseases - mortality; Subgroups; Talc; Talc - toxicity; mortality; epidemiology; talc; cancer; pneumoconiosis
• ISSN: 0271-3586; 1097-0274
• DOI: 10.1002/ajim.22749

Background This study updates information on mortality and cancer morbidity in a cohort of Norwegian talc workers. Methods Follow‐up was extended with 24 years, covering 1953‐2011. Comparisons were made with the general population and between subgroups within the cohort. Results Standardized mortality ratio for non‐malignant respiratory disease (NMRD) was 0.38 (95%CI: 0.18, 0.69) and for diseases of the circulatory system (CVD) 0.98 (95%CI: 0.82, 1.16). A non‐significantly increased NMRD risk was observed at high dust exposures. There were no deaths from pneumoconiosis. Conclusions With the clear limitations of a small cohort, our results do hint at an effect of talc dust on mortality from NMRD other than pneumoconiosis, covered by a strong and persisting healthy worker effect. Also, an effect on CVD mortality, masked by a healthy worker selection into the cohort cannot be ruled out. Excess mortality from pneumoconiosis seen in other studies, may reflect exposure to quartz and, possibly, bias due to comparability problems.