[Mortality in a cohort of asbestos cement workers in Carrara, Italy].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the mortality of 262 workers (200 men and 62 women) employed in an asbestos cement plant located in Carrara, Italy, exposed to a mixture of chrysotile and crocidolite asbestos in a ratio of 2:5.


METHODS
Follow-up started on 1 January, 1963. The vital status and causes of death were ascertained on 31 December, 2003. The Tuscany population mortality was used as reference. The relative risk was estimated by Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) and the confidence intervals were calculated at 95% level [95%CI].


RESULTS
Among men, a significant increase in mortality was observed for respiratory disease (14 deaths; SMR = 244.1; IC95% = 133.4-409.5), particularly for pneumoconiosis (10 deaths; SMR= 1,800; IC95% = 856.9-3,300.0; of which 5 deaths due to asbestosis; SMR = 120,000; IC95% = 37,000-270,000), and for pleural cancer (4 deaths; SMR = 2,500; IC95% = 676.8-6,400.0). Non-significant increases were also observed for lung cancer (10 deaths; SMR = 114.2; IC95% = 54.8-209.9), and gastric cancer (7 deaths; SMR= 167.1; IC95% = 67.2-344.3). Among women, significant increases were observed for pneumoconiosis (1 death; SMR = 17,000; 95%CI = 425-93,000), and for liver cancer (3 deaths; SMR = 765.0; IC95% = 157.8-2,200.0).


CONCLUSIONS
For males our results were consistent with other mortality studies on asbestos-cement workers. No other cohort studies on asbestos cement workers have dealt with mortality of female workers.
Raffaelli
Ilaria
I
UO Epidemiologia Ambientale Occupazionale, Centro per lo Studio e la Prevenzione Oncologica (CSPO), Istituto Scientifico della Regione Toscana, Firenze.
Festa
G
G
Costantini
Adele Seniori
AS
Leva
G
G
Gorini
G
G
D000328:Adult; D001195:Asbestosis / Q000401:mortality*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male