title: Mortality due to asbestos-related causes among railway carriage construction and repair workers.
abstract: The objective of this study was to further clarify the cancer risk associated with asbestos exposure in railway carriage construction and repair. The cohort included 734 subjects employed between 1 January 1945 and 31 December 1969. Vital status was ascertained at 31 December 1997. Mortality was investigated in the time span 1970-97. Forty-two subjects (6%) were lost to follow-up and eight causes of death (4%) could not be ascertained. The overall mortality was not above the expected value. Among neoplastic diseases, excesses were observed for lung ştandardized mortality ratio (SMR) = 124; 90% confidence interval (CI) = 87-172; 26 obs), pleura (SMR = 1,327; CI = 523-2,790; 5 obs), larynx (SMR = 240; CI = 95-505; 5 obs), liver (SMR = 241; CI = 126-420; 9 obs), pancreas (SMR = 224; CI = 98-443; 6 obs) and multiple myeloma (SMR = 429; CI = 117-1,109; 3 obs). The observed excess of lung and pleural neoplasms can be causally related to asbestos exposure in the manufacture of railway carriages. A causal role of asbestos exposure in the raised SMRs from laryngeal and pancreatic neoplasms and multiple myeloma cannot be conclusively proven.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Workers Preventive Medicine, University of Siena, Italy. battista@mailsrv.unisi.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Battista
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Comba
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fiumalbi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grignoli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Loi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Orsi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Paredes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001194:Asbestos / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003252:Construction Materials / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010995:Pleural Diseases / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D001194:Asbestos