title: [Mortality and morbidity cohort study of residents in the neighbourhood of Milazzo industrial area (Sicily)].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The municipality of Pace del Mela, together with Milazzo and San Filippo del Mela, has been recognized as a contaminated site of national concern. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the health status of subjects resident in the Gabbia district, which is close to the industrial areas of both, Pace del Mela and Milazzo.
  
  
  METHODS
  All streets and addresses of the area of interest have been identified, taking into account their changes in name over time. The cohort of subjects who lived in the area for any period of time from September 1st, 1984, through December 31st, 2007 has been reconstructed by manual consultation of the Registrar Office files. Standardized mortality ratios, specific for cause, age class, gender and calendar period, have been computed using as reference the Sicilian population. Standardised incidence ratios, based on regional hospital discharge files, have been computed for the years 2001-2007. The cohort is constituted by 457 subjects, 230 men and 227 women. Ascertainment of vital status has not been possible for 39 subjects, corresponding to 8.5% of the cohort.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Observed mortality for all causes and for all cancers is consistent with expected figures (62 observed vs 63 expected and 14 observed vs 15 expected, respectively). Observed cancer morbidity is inferior to the corresponding expected figure (SIR=0.49, CI 95%: 0.31-0.79).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The health profile of the Gabbia district population, as estimated from mortality and hospital discharge records, does not show major departures from expected figures.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di ambiente e connessa prevenzione primaria, Istituto superiore di sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Roma. lucia.fazzo@iss.it
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fazzo
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Puglisi
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pellegrino
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fiumanò
authors.forename: Pierpaolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mudu
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Andaloro
authors.forename: Achille
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cernigliaro
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Comba
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D002617:Chemical Industry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019652:Extraction and Processing Industry; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D012307:Risk Factors; D012802:Sicily; D055815:Young Adult