[Mortality among steel workers: retrospective study 1985-1994].
BACKGROUND
Some studies have reported an increased incidence of lung, kidney and colon cancer among steel workers, however this has not been an universal observation.


OBJECTIVE
To study the causes of death in a group of Chilean steel workers.


METHODS
Between January 1985 and December 1994, 4718 steel workers were followed. Their crude and standardized death rates, adjusted for age and diagnosis, were calculated.


RESULTS
During the study period 153 deaths were registered (3.2%), 78 in active workers (2.7%), 68 in retired workers (5.9%) and 7 in hired workers (1%). Main causes of death were liver cirrhosis (19%), gastric cancer (9.2%) and myocardial infarction (8.5%). Cirrhosis was the only cause with a significantly higher standardized adjusted rate (= 171).


CONCLUSIONS
We did not find elevated standardized mortality rates for respiratory diseases, lung or kidney cancer in this group of steel workers. Thus, our results did not show a specific occupational risk among these workers.
Benavides
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Departamento Médico Industrial, Compañía Siderúrgica Huachipato S.A., Talcahuano, Chile.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008669:Metallurgy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013232:Steel
D013232:Steel