Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Industrial Medicine logoLink to British Journal of Industrial Medicine
. 1970 Apr;27(2):97–105. doi: 10.1136/oem.27.2.97

Cancer of the lung in iron ore (haematite) miners

J T Boyd a,1, R Doll a,2, J S Faulds a, J Leiper a,3
PMCID: PMC1009082  PMID: 5448525

Abstract

Boyd, J. T., Doll, R., Faulds, J. S., and Leiper, J.(1970).Brit. J. industr. Med.,27, 97-105. Cancer of the lung in iron ore (haematite) miners. The mortality of Cumberland iron-ore miners has been studied by examining the death certificates of 5 811 men resident in two local authority areas (Ennerdale R.D. and Whitehaven M.B.) who died between 1948 and 1967. Comparison of the iron miners' experience with (1) that of other local men and (2) the relevant national experience has provided an assessment of the suspected occupational risk of lung cancer associated with haematite mining. During the 20-year period there were 42 deaths attributed to lung cancer among iron mine employees resident in the study area: 36 of these occurred in miners working underground, which was significantly greater than that expected from local non-mining (20·6 deaths) or national (21·5 deaths) experience. In contrast to these findings, there was no evidence of any excess mortality from lung cancer among surface workers and, for iron miners as a whole, mortality from other cancers was close to the national experience. A parallel analysis of mortality among coal miners showed a deficit of deaths from lung cancer in line with other studies. The patterns of other respiratory mortality in the two local mining groups were also in line with previous experience, and confirmed the existence of a substantial silicotic hazard associated with haematite mining in Cumberland.

These findings strengthen previous necropsy evidence and indicate that West Cumberland iron-ore miners who work underground experience an occupational hazard of lung cancer. They suggest that the miners suffer a lung cancer mortality about 70% higher than `normal'. The risk may be due to radioactivity in the air of the mines (average radon concentration of 100 p Ci/litre) or to a carcinogenic effect of iron oxide.

Full text

PDF
97

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BIDSTRUP P. L., CASE R. A. Carcinoma of the lung in workmen in the bichromates-producing industry in Great Britain. Br J Ind Med. 1956 Oct;13(4):260–264. doi: 10.1136/oem.13.4.260. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BRINTON H. P., FRASIER E. S., KOVEN A. L. Morbidity and mortality experience among chromate workers. Public Health Rep. 1952 Sep;67(9):835–847. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. COCHRANE A. L., GILSON J. C., HIGGINS I. T., OLDHAM P. D. Respiratory symptoms and pulmonary disability in an industrial town; survey of a random sample of the population. Br Med J. 1956 Oct 20;2(4998):904–910. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.4998.904. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DEVILLIERS A. J., WINDISH J. P. LUNG CANCER IN A FLUORSPAR MINING COMMUNITY. I. RADIATION, DUST, AND MORTALITY EXPERIENCE. Br J Ind Med. 1964 Apr;21:94–109. doi: 10.1136/oem.21.2.94. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. DOLL R., FISHER R. E., GAMMON E. J., GUNN W., HUGHES G. O., TYRER F. H., WILSON W. MORTALITY OF GASWORKERS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO CANCERS OF THE LUNG AND BLADDER, CHRONIC BRONCHITIS, AND PNEUMOCONIOSIS. Br J Ind Med. 1965 Jan;22:1–12. doi: 10.1136/oem.22.1.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. DOLL R. Mortality from lung cancer in asbestos workers. Br J Ind Med. 1955 Apr;12(2):81–86. doi: 10.1136/oem.12.2.81. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. FAULDS J. S. Haematite pneumoconiosis in Cumberland miners. J Clin Pathol. 1957 Aug;10(3):187–199. doi: 10.1136/jcp.10.3.187. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. GOLDMAN K. P. MORTALITY OF COAL-MINERS FROM CARCINOMA OF THE LUNG. Br J Ind Med. 1965 Jan;22:72–77. doi: 10.1136/oem.22.1.72. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. HADDOW A., HORNING E. S. On the carcinogenicity of an iron-dextran complex. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1960 Jan;24:109–147. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. HARDING H. E., MCLAUGHLIN A. I. Pneumoconiosis and other causes of death in iron and steel foundry workers. AMA Arch Ind Health. 1956 Oct;14(4):350–378. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. JAMES W. R. Primary lung cancer in South Wales coal-workers with pneumoconiosis. Br J Ind Med. 1955 Apr;12(2):87–91. doi: 10.1136/oem.12.2.87. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. MONLIBERT L., ROUBILLE R. [Apropos of bronchial cancer in an iron miner]. J Fr Med Chir Thorac. 1960;14:435–439. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. MORGAN J. G. Some observations on the incidence of respiratory cancer in nickel workers. Br J Ind Med. 1958 Oct;15(4):224–234. doi: 10.1136/oem.15.4.224. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. MORRISON S. L. Occupational mortality in Scotland. Br J Ind Med. 1957 Apr;14(2):130–132. doi: 10.1136/oem.14.2.130. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. ROUSSEL J., PERNOT C., SCHOUMACHER P., PERNOT M., KESSLER Y. CONSID'ERATIONS STATISTIQUES SUR LE CANCER BRONCHIQUE DU MINEUR DE FER DU BASSIN DE LORRAINE1. J Radiol Electrol Med Nucl. 1964 Oct;45:541–546. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. SACCOMANNO G., ARCHER V. E., SAUNDERS R. P., JAMES L. A., BECKLER P. A. LUNG CANCER OF URANIUM MINERS ON THE COLORADO PLATEAU. Health Phys. 1964 Dec;10:1195–1201. doi: 10.1097/00004032-196412000-00040. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. SAFFIOTTI U., KOLB L. H., SHUBIK P. EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF THE CONDITIONS OF EXPOSURE TO CARCINOGENS FOR LUNG CANCER INDUCTION. J Air Pollut Control Assoc. 1965 Jan;15:23–25. doi: 10.1080/00022470.1965.10468328. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. SELIKOFF I. J., CHURG J., HAMMOND E. C. ASBESTOS EXPOSURE AND NEOPLASIA. JAMA. 1964 Apr 6;188:22–26. doi: 10.1001/jama.1964.03060270028006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. WAGNER J. C., SLEGGS C. A., MARCHAND P. Diffuse pleural mesothelioma and asbestos exposure in the North Western Cape Province. Br J Ind Med. 1960 Oct;17:260–271. doi: 10.1136/oem.17.4.260. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. WAGONER J. K., ARCHER V. E., LUNDIN F. E., Jr, HOLADAY D. A., LLOYD J. W. RADIATION AS THE CAUSE OF LUNG CANCER AMONG URANIUM MINERS. N Engl J Med. 1965 Jul 22;273:181–188. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196507222730402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Industrial Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES