Mortality due to causes correlatable to asbestos in a cohort of workers in railway car construction

• Published in: Medicina del lavoro Vol. 84; no. 3; p. 193
• Main Authors: Menegozzo, M, Belli, S, Bruno, C, Canfora, V, Costigliola, A, Di Cintio, P, Di Liello, L, Grignoli, M, Palumbo, F, Sapio, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Italian
• Published: Italy 01.05.1993
• Subjects: Asbestos - adverse effects; Asbestos, Serpentine; Asbestosis - mortality; Cause of Death; Cohort Studies; Engineering - statistics & numerical data; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Italy - epidemiology; Life Tables; Male; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Occupational Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Railroads - statistics & numerical data; Italy
• ISSN: 0025-7818

A study was made of the mortality experience of a cohort of railway carriage construction workers with the aim of detecting asbestos-induced disease. The cohort included 1534 men who were active as at 01.01.1970 and/or hired up to 30.06.89. Vital status was ascertained for 97.7% of the cohort. The mortality experience of the cohort was compared with that of the population of the Campania Region. Altogether, 194 deaths were observed (SMR: 0.88). Significant mortality deficits were associated with circulatory causes (SMR: 0.64, 58 observed), non-malignant respiratory causes (SMR: 0.59, 12 observed), and accidents (SMR: 0.39, 5 observed). A significant increase in mortality from all neoplasms was detected (SMR: 1.25, 69 observed), mainly due to an excess of lung cancer (SMR: 1.45, 28 observed), pleural cancer (SMR: 4.72, 3 observed), and peritoneal cancer (SMR: 7.47, 2 observed). The excess of mortality from respiratory neoplasms mainly affected subjects who had started employment more than 20 years previously.