Mortality in a Population Exposed to Dioxin after the Seveso, Italy, Accident in 1976: 25 Years of Follow-Up

• Published in: American journal of epidemiology 2008-04, Vol.167 (7), p.847-858
• Main Authors: Consonni, Dario, Pesatori, Angela C., Zocchetti, Carlo, Sindaco, Raffaella, D'Oro, Luca Cavalieri, Rubagotti, Maurizia, Bertazzi, Pier Alberto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: accidents; Accidents, Occupational; Analysis. Health state; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer; carcinogens; Cardiovascular Diseases - mortality; Cause of Death; Chemical Industry; cohort studies; Diabetes Mellitus - mortality; Dioxins; Dioxins - poisoning; environmental; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Epidemiology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; General aspects; Human exposure; Humans; Italy - epidemiology; Liver Cirrhosis - mortality; Male; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Mortality; Neoplasms - mortality; occupational; Occupational medicine; Poisson Distribution; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - mortality; Risk assessment; tetrachlorodibenzodioxin; Toxicity
• ISSN: 0002-9262; 1476-6256
• DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwm371

The Seveso accident in 1976 caused a large, populated area north of Milan, Italy, to be contaminated by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). In this study, the authors followed up the exposed population for chronic effects; this paper reports the results of the mortality follow-up extension for 1997–2001. The study cohort includes 278,108 subjects resident at the time of the accident or immigrating/born in the 10 years thereafter in three contaminated zones with decreasing TCDD soil levels (zone A, very high; zone B, high; zone R, low) and in a reference territory comprising surrounding, noncontaminated municipalities. Vital status and cause-of-death ascertainment were 99% complete. Adjusted rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated by using Poisson regression. Results confirmed previous findings of excesses of lymphatic and hematopoietic tissue neoplasms in zones A (six deaths; rate ratio = 2.23, 95% confidence interval: 1.00, 4.97) and B (28 deaths; rate ratio = 1.59, 95% confidence interval: 1.09, 2.33). These zones also showed increased mortality from circulatory diseases in the first years after the accident, from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and from diabetes mellitus among females. A toxic and carcinogenic risk to humans after high TCDD exposure is supported by the results of this study.