title: Mortality of filling station attendants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gasoline contains established human carcinogens, such as benzene. The health impact of exposure to this fuel, however, has not been fully elucidated. We report on the mortality of a cohort of 2665 filling station managers from the Latium region (Italy).
  
  
  METHODS
  This is the first workplace-based cohort of gas station attendants. However, only self-employed individuals were available for study (about 50% of the whole work force). The follow-up period extended from 1981 through 1992. The mortality experience of the cohort was compared with that of the regional population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall analysis for standardized mortality ratios (SMR) showed a significantly decreased mortality from all causes, mainly due to a deficit of cardiovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms. Nonsignificantly increased risks for esophageal cancer [SMR 241, 90% confidence interval (90% CI) 82-551], brain cancer (SMR 195, 90% CI 77-401) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (SMR 173, 90% CI 47-448) were found for the men; mortality due to lung cancer and leukemia was lower than expected, and no kidney cancer death was recorded. Among the attendants of small stations (characterized by a small number of employees and high sales of gasoline per full-time employee), the SMR values for esophageal cancer (for men SMR 351, 90% CI 120-803) and brain cancer (for men and women SMR 266, 90% CI 105-559) showed increased values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Filling station attendants are exposed to gasoline vapors and seem at risk of cancer of various sites. Due to the power limitations of this study, however, a precise estimate of the risk for many causes of death was not achievable. Further cohort studies of greater size are warranted.
authors.affiliation: National Health Institute, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lagorio
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Forastiere
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Iavarone
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rapiti
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vanacore
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Perucci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carere
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005742:Gasoline / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000401:mortality; D011159:Population Surveillance
chemical_list: D005742:Gasoline