title: Cause-specific mortality in Finnish ferrochromium and stainless steel production workers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although stainless steel has been produced for more than a hundred years, exposure-related mortality data for production workers are limited.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe cause-specific mortality in Finnish ferrochromium and stainless steel workers.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied Finnish stainless steel production chain workers employed between 1967 and 2004, from chromite mining to cold rolling of stainless steel, divided into sub-cohorts by production units with specific exposure patterns. We obtained causes of death for the years 1971-2012 from Statistics Finland. We calculated standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) as ratios of observed and expected numbers of deaths based on population mortality rates of the same region.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 8088 workers studied, overall mortality was significantly decreased (SMR 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70-0.84), largely due to low mortality from diseases of the circulatory system (SMR 0.71; 95% CI 0.61-0.81). In chromite mine, stainless steel melting shop and metallurgical laboratory workers, the SMR for circulatory disease was below 0.4 (SMR 0.33; 95% CI 0.07-0.95, SMR 0.22; 95% CI 0.05-0.65 and SMR 0.16; 95% CI 0.00-0.90, respectively). Mortality from accidents (SMR 0.84; 95% CI 0.67-1.04) and suicides (SMR 0.72; 95% CI 0.56-0.91) was also lower than in the reference population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Working in the Finnish ferrochromium and stainless steel industry appears not to be associated with increased mortality.
authors.affiliation: Outokumpu Oyj, PO Box 140, FI-02201 Espoo, Finland, markku.huvinen@outokumpu.com.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huvinen
authors.affiliation: Finnish Cancer Registry, Institute for Statistical and Epidemiological Cancer Research, Unioninkatu 22, FI-00130 Helsinki, Finland, School of Health Sciences, University of Tampere, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pukkala
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D002858:Chromium Alloys / Q000009:adverse effects; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D008669:Metallurgy; D008906:Mining; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000401:mortality*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013193:Stainless Steel / Q000009:adverse effects; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*
chemical_list: D002858:Chromium Alloys; C027393:ferrochromium; D013193:Stainless Steel
keywords: Cause-specific mortality; Finland; hexavalent chromium; ferrochromium; molybdenum; nickel; occupational exposure; stainless steel; trivalent chromium.