A Preliminary Report of Mortality Patterns Among Foundry Workers [1979/01]

Details

• Personal Author:
  Blade, Leo M. ; Egan B ; Waxweiler, Richard J.
• Description:
  Mortality patterns between 1971 and 1975 were studied among White male United States foundry workers. The study cohort was selected from death benefit records maintained by the International Molders and Allied Workers Union. Proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) were calculated and compared to PMR computed for the general United States male population. PMRs of the foundry workers were significantly elevated for all malignant neoplasms and nonmalignant respiratory diseases. For specific cancer sites, significantly elevated PMRs occurred for lung, tracheal and bronchial cancers. Slight increases were noted for buccal cavity and bladder cancers. The excess of nonmalignant respiratory disease rates was due primarily to increases of pneumoconiosis, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Heart disease also was a major cause of death. The authors speculate that excessive exposure to particulate dust, especially silica dust, may be responsible for the high mortality rates from lung cancer and nonmalignant respiratory disease among foundry workers. They note that specific etiologic agents for these diseases have not been identified in the foundry industry, and recommend in depth industrial hygiene surveys to characterize the foundry environment and identify specific job areas with high disease risks. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Carcinogens Epidemiology Hazardous Substances Mortality Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Epidemiology; Disease-rates; Steelmaking; Epidemiological-studies; Mortality-data; Statistical-analysis; Respiratory-system-disorders; Toxic-substances; Carcinogenesis; Data-collection; Data-analysis
• ISBN:
  0930376080
• Publisher:
  Pathofox Publisher, Inc.
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Illinois ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  417-428
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00096317
• Citation:
  Dusts and Disease, Proceedings of the Conference on Occupational Exposures to Fibrous and Particulate Dust and their Extension into the Environment, Sponsored by the Society for Occupational and Environmental Health and U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration; R. Lemen, and J. M. Dement, editors, Park Forest South, Illinois, Pathofox Publisher, Inc. 1979 Jan; :417-428
• Editor(s):
  Lemen R; Dement JM
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1979
• NORA Priority Area:
  Pulmonary System Disorders
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7dc847c09aedf140bc731323e8446b4703641ae07d6ad9e7b7238120dab30b8f7dcaa9b938d34d035f87873a0fe7fec262d5d13dcaf290925445e82b6de3b57d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/241088/cdc_241088_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 168.02 KB ]