Mortality of workers in the dye industry. I. Analysis of general mortality
Szymczak, W.; Sitarek, K.; Barański, B.
Medycyna Pracy 46(5): 459-467
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0465-5893 PMID: 8559051 Document Number: 452225
A mortality study was carried out among workers employed in a plant producing different kinds of dyes using benzidine. The cohort comprised 8,523 males and 2,006 females whose vital status was recorded between Jan 1, 1945 and Dec 31, 1991. They had worked in this plant for, at least, 3 months between Jan 1, 1945 and Dec 31, 1974. The cohort was divided into 4 subcohorts: I. those exposed only to benzidine; II. those exposed to benzidine and to other occupational hazards; III. those involved directly in the dyes production but not exposed to benzidine, and IV. those not involved directly in the dye production-mainly administrative staff. Death risk was estimated on the basis of standardized mortality ratio (SMR), determined by means of the person-years method. The general population of Poland was taken as a reference group. The observed number of deaths in the cohort and each subcohort was compared with expected deaths. The comparison was based on the national rates by adjustment for age, gender and calendar time. An excessive mortality due to mental disorders (SMR = 2.37) was found in the male cohort, and due to atherosclerosis in both cohorts--male (SMR = 1.25) and female (SMR = 1.37). An analysis of mortality in subcohorts showed similar but not the same relationship. Mortality because of malignant neoplasms will be presented in the next paper.