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Industry‐wide study of mortality of pulp and paper mill workers
Author(s) -
Matanoski Genevieve M.,
Kanchanaraksa Sukon,
Lees Peter S. J.,
Tao XuGuang,
Royall Richard,
Francis Marcie,
Lantry Deborah
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0274(199804)33:4<354::aid-ajim5>3.0.co;2-u
Subject(s) - medicine , mortality rate , mill , standardized mortality ratio , pulp (tooth) , occupational medicine , occupational disease , occupational exposure , environmental health , toxicology , surgery , dentistry , mechanical engineering , engineering , biology
A study of pulp and paper mill workers indicated low risks of death from all causes (standardized mortality ratio (SMR) = 0.74) and all cancers (SMR = 0.81) compared with U.S. rates. The leukemia death rate in workers was not higher than the U.S. rate but was higher than the rate in county populations surrounding mills. Workers whose last jobs were in the finishing areas of the mills had an elevated SMR for liver cancer. An internal comparison of occupational characteristics indicated that workers employed in mills using other chemical pulping operations had significantly elevated mortality from all causes, all cancers, heart disease, lymphomas, and brain cancers. Lung cancer mortality was elevated in mills using kraft pulping. The internal comparisons confirmed the association between work in finishing and the risk of liver cancer. This study was designed to investigate whether pulp and paper mill workers have any risks that would indicate the need for studies detailing exposures. Am. J. Ind. Med. 33:354–365, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.