Mortality Among Workers in the Florida Phosphate Industry: I. Industry-Wide Cause-Specific Mortality Patterns

A retrospective cohort mortality study was conducted on 17,601 white and 4,722 nonwhite male workers in the Florida phosphate mining and chemical processing industry. Concerns about potential risks from naturally-occurring sources of ionizing radiation and anecdotal reports of lung cancer among work...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of occupational medicine 1985-12, Vol.27 (12), p.885-892
Main Authors: Checkoway, Harvey, Mathew, Ravi M., Hickey, John L.S., Shy, Carl M., Harris, Robert L., Hunt, Edward W., Waldman, Gwen T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases
Chemical Industry
Emphysema - mortality
Florida
Humans
Lung Neoplasms - mortality
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Mining
Neoplasms - mortality
Occupational Diseases - mortality
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Phosphates - adverse effects
Retrospective Studies
Toxicology
United States
Various organic compounds
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Summary:A retrospective cohort mortality study was conducted on 17,601 white and 4,722 nonwhite male workers in the Florida phosphate mining and chemical processing industry. Concerns about potential risks from naturally-occurring sources of ionizing radiation and anecdotal reports of lung cancer among workers prompted this investigation. Historical follow-up was conducted for the years 1949 to 1978. In comparison with U.S. rates, small excess of mortality rates of lung cancer were observed for white (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] equals 1.22) and nonwhite workers (SMR = 1.24); however, these excesses disappeared when contrasts were made with prevailing rates in Florida. Emphysema mortality was also slightly elevated in comparison with U.S. rates; the SMRs were 1.48 and 1.73 for white and nonwhite workers, respectively. Neither disease was related to overall length of employment. Detailed analyses of mortality in relation to work assignments are presented in the companion article.
ISSN:0096-1736
2332-3795