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An Investigation Of Mortality From Cancer And Other Causes Of Death Among Workers Employed At An East Texas Chemical Plant.

Sweeney-MH; Beaumont-JJ; Waxweiler-RJ; Halperin-WE

NIOSH 1984 Oct:19 pages

00146787

A historical prospective mortality study of chemical workers was conducted. The purpose of the study was to evaluate a suspected increase in deaths due to brain cancer and multiple myeloma. The cohort consisted of 2510 males who worked for at least 1 day at a chemical factory in East Texas between January 1, 1952 and December 31, 1977. The facility's major product was tetraethyllead (78002). The cohort was traced through company, union, Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, and state records. Death certificates were obtained from state vital statistics offices. The observed mortality was compared with predicted rates for all United States males. Overall mortality for all causes of death was lower than that expected, 156 versus 211.14. The number of deaths for all cancers was 38 versus 36.95 expected. Insignificant increases in deaths due to brain cancer (4 observed versus 1.88 expected), respiratory system cancer (14 observed versus 12.47 expected), and colorectal cancer (5 observed versus 3.73 expected) occurred. The authors conclude that no statistically significant increase in site specific mortality from cancer occurred. The small excess observed for brain and other cancers may have been due to chance associations.

NIOSH-Author; Chemical-manufacturing-industry; Epidemiology; Mortality-surveys; Heavy-metals; Organo-lead-compounds; Cancer-rate; Risk-analysis;

78-00-2;

19841001

1985

PB85-220945

A03

Robert A. Taft Laboratories, NIOSH, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Cincinnati, Ohio, 19 pages, 15 references

TX; OH;