Mortality Among Workers at a Talc Mining and Milling Facility

Details

• Personal Author:
  Beall C ; Brill I ; Delzell E ; Honda Y ; Matthews R ; Oestenstad K
• Description:
  Background: This study evaluated mortality among workers at a talc mining and milling facility. Methods: Subjects were white men actively employed between 1948 and 1989 and known to have been alive in or after 1950. Analyses assessed cancer mortality during the period 1950-89 (809 subjects) and non-cancer mortality during 1960-89 (782 subjects). Results: Comparisons with regional general population death rates for 1960-89 indicated that the workers had more than expected deaths from all causes combined [209 observed/160 expected, standardized mortality ratio (SMR) = 131, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 114-150], due mainly to increased mortality from lung cancer (31/13, SMR = 232, CI = 157-329) and non-malignant respiratory disease (NMRD) (28/13, SMR = 221, CI = 147-320). The lung cancer excess was concentrated in miners (18/4.6, SMR = 394, CI = 233-622); millers had only a small increase (7/5.5, SMR = 128, CI = 51-263). An excess of NMRD occurred both in miners (10/4.2, SMR = 241, CI = 116-444) and in millers (11/4.8, SMR = 227, CI = 113-407). The median estimated exposure to respirable dust was 511 mg/m3-days for all exposed employees, 739 mg/m3-days for mine workers and 683 mg/m3-days for mill workers. Employees with high, compared with low, estimated exposure to dust had a rate ratio of 0.5 (CI = 0.2-1.3) for lung cancer and of 11.8 (CI = 3.1-44.9) for pulmonary fibrosis. Conclusions: Exposure to talc ore dust may not have been responsible for the lung cancer excess among these workers but probably contributed to the elevated rate of NMRD, particularly pulmonary fibrosis. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dust Lung Mining Mortality Neoplasms Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety Talc
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Epidemiology Cancer Rates Lung Neoplasms Milling Industry Mortality Rates Occupational Exposure Pulmonary Disorders Respirable Dust Talc Talc Dust
• ISSN:
  0003-4878
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Alabama ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  46
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20057629
• Citation:
  Ann Occup Hyg 2002 Oct; 46(7):575-585
• Contact Point Address:
  Yasushi Honda, Environmental Health Sciences Program, Institute of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8574, Japan
• Email:
  honda@taiiku.tsukuba.ac.jp
• CAS Registry Number:
  Talc (Mg3H2(SiO3)4) (CAS RN 14807-96-6)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• Performing Organization:
  Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19980701
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Occupational Hygiene
• End Date:
  20040630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7562ee09d4e0b34559b8bb81d2968e7e3d523c4dbbc1e4d085b000ae43edbeae3e3d3e1d3c196f4d4adf9be6e03968efff4906d4ae58ba35968bc9c2f55b34af
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214901/cdc_214901_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 205.46 KB ]