Mortality among chrome leather tannery workers: An update

• Published in: American journal of industrial medicine Vol. 44; no. 2; pp. 197 - 206
• Main Author: Stern, Frank B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.08.2003; Wiley-Liss
• Subjects: Adult; African Americans - statistics & numerical data; Biological and medical sciences; Cause of Death; Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases; European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Female; Humans; Life Tables; Lung Neoplasms - mortality; Male; Medical sciences; Metals and various inorganic compounds; Minnesota - epidemiology; Neoplasms - mortality; Occupational Diseases - mortality; Tanning; Toxicology; Wisconsin - epidemiology; United States; North America; America; Minnesota; Wisconsin; Human; Carcinogen; Standardized mortality ratio; Toxicity; Leather industry; Mortality; Chromium; Malignant tumor; Occupational exposure; Tannery; Epidemiology; Heavy metal
• ISSN: 0271-3586; 1097-0274
• DOI: 10.1002/ajim.10242

Background Employees engaged in the tanning and finishing of leather are potentially exposed to numerous carcinogens. Methods A previous mortality study among 9,352 workers from two chrome tanneries has been updated with the addition of 11 years of vital status and work history follow‐up and 1,153 new deaths. Ninety‐two different causes of death were analyzed using a modified life‐table approach. Death rates from both the United States and the states in which the tanneries were located were used as the comparison populations in calculating cause‐specific standardized mortality ratios (SMRs). Results The mortality risks from all causes and from all cancers were lower than the expected for the combined cohort. Analyzing the two tanneries separately, no a priori cause of death (i.e., cancer of the lung, pancreas, bladder, kidney, testes, nasal cavity, lymphoma, or soft‐tissue sarcoma) was shown to be significantly elevated. An exception was lung cancer at one tannery when state death rates were used (SMR = 130, P < 0.01). Analyzing by duration of employment, no significant trend in any cause of death at either tannery was revealed. Conclusions Some studies have shown elevated risks for various site‐specific causes of cancer; however, sites in excess are not consistent between studies. The differences may have been due to distinct processes used by the tanneries resulting in varying levels, as well as different types, of exposures. Am. J. Ind. Med. 44:197–206, 2003. Published 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.