Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Industrial Medicine logoLink to British Journal of Industrial Medicine
. 1990 Dec;47(12):810–814. doi: 10.1136/oem.47.12.810

An update of cancer mortality among chrysotile asbestos miners in Balangero, northern Italy.

G Piolatto 1, E Negri 1, C La Vecchia 1, E Pira 1, A Decarli 1, J Peto 1
PMCID: PMC1035286  PMID: 2176805

Abstract

The mortality experience of a cohort of chrysotile miners employed since 1946 in Balangero, northern Italy was updated to the end of 1987 giving a total of 427 deaths out of 27,010 man-years at risk. A substantial excess mortality for all causes (standardised mortality ratio (SMR) = 149) was found, mainly because of high rates for some alcohol related deaths (hepatic cirrhosis, accidents). For mortality from cancer, however, the number of observed deaths (82) was close to that expected (76.2). The SMR was raised for oral cancer (SMR 231 based on six deaths), cancer of the larynx (SMR 267 based on eight deaths), and pleura (SMR 667 based on two deaths), although the excess only reached statistical significance for cancer of the larynx. Rates were not increased for lung, stomach, or any other type of cancer. No consistent association was seen with duration or cumulative dust exposure (fibre-years) for oral cancer, but the greatest risks for laryngeal and pleural cancer were in the highest category of duration and degree of exposure to fibres. Although part of the excess mortality from laryngeal cancer is probably attributable to high alcohol consumption in this group of workers, the data suggest that exposure to chrysotile asbestos (or to the fibre balangeroite that accounts for 0.2-0.5% of total mass in the mine) is associated with some, however moderate, excess risk of laryngeal cancer and pleural mesothelioma. The absence of excess mortality from lung cancer in this cohort is difficult to interpret.

Full text

PDF
810

Images in this article

813Image
on p.813
813Image
on p.813

Selected References

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

  1. Berry G., Newhouse M. L. Mortality of workers manufacturing friction materials using asbestos. Br J Ind Med. 1983 Feb;40(1):1–7. doi: 10.1136/oem.40.1.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chan C. K., Gee J. B. Asbestos exposure and laryngeal cancer: an analysis of the epidemiologic evidence. J Occup Med. 1988 Jan;30(1):23–27. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Churg A., Wiggs B., Depaoli L., Kampe B., Stevens B. Lung asbestos content in chrysotile workers with mesothelioma. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1984 Dec;130(6):1042–1045. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1984.130.6.1042. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Decarli A., La Vecchia C. Cancer mortality in Italy, 1955-78. Tumori. 1984 Dec 31;70 (Suppl):581–742. doi: 10.1177/03008916840706s101. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dement J. M., Harris R. L., Jr, Symons M. J., Shy C. Estimates of dose-response for respiratory cancer among chrysotile asbestos textile workers. Ann Occup Hyg. 1982;26(1-4):869–887. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Doll R. Mineral fibres in the non-occupational environment: concluding remarks. IARC Sci Publ. 1989;(90):511–518. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Edelman D. A. Laryngeal cancer and occupational exposure to asbestos. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1989;61(4):223–227. doi: 10.1007/BF00381418. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. La Vecchia C., Decarli A., Mezzanotte G., Cislaghi C. Mortality from alcohol related disease in Italy. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1986 Sep;40(3):257–261. doi: 10.1136/jech.40.3.257. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. McConnochie K., Simonato L., Mavrides P., Christofides P., Pooley F. D., Wagner J. C. Mesothelioma in Cyprus: the role of tremolite. Thorax. 1987 May;42(5):342–347. doi: 10.1136/thx.42.5.342. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. McDonald A. D., Fry J. S., Woolley A. J., McDonald J. C. Dust exposure and mortality in an American chrysotile asbestos friction products plant. Br J Ind Med. 1984 May;41(2):151–157. doi: 10.1136/oem.41.2.151. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. McDonald A. D., Fry J. S., Woolley A. J., McDonald J. Dust exposure and mortality in an American chrysotile textile plant. Br J Ind Med. 1983 Nov;40(4):361–367. doi: 10.1136/oem.40.4.361. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. McDonald J. C., Armstrong B., Case B., Doell D., McCaughey W. T., McDonald A. D., Sébastien P. Mesothelioma and asbestos fiber type. Evidence from lung tissue analyses. Cancer. 1989 Apr 15;63(8):1544–1547. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19890415)63:8<1544::aid-cncr2820630815>3.0.co;2-g. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. McDonald J. C., Liddell F. D., Gibbs G. W., Eyssen G. E., McDonald A. D. Dust exposure and mortality in chrysotile mining, 1910-75. Br J Ind Med. 1980 Feb;37(1):11–24. doi: 10.1136/oem.37.1.11. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Mossman B. T., Gee J. B. Asbestos-related diseases. N Engl J Med. 1989 Jun 29;320(26):1721–1730. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198906293202604. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Newhouse M. L., Berry G. Patterns of mortality in asbestos factory workers in London. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1979;330:53–60. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1979.tb18709.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Peto J., Doll R., Howard S. V., Kinlen L. J., Lewinsohn H. C. A mortality study among workers in an English asbestos factory. Br J Ind Med. 1977 Aug;34(3):169–173. doi: 10.1136/oem.34.3.169. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Peto J. Fibre carcinogenesis and environmental hazards. IARC Sci Publ. 1989;(90):457–470. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Rubino G. F., Piolatto G., Newhouse M. L., Scansetti G., Aresini G. A., Murray R. Mortality of chrysotile asbestos workers at the Balangero Mine, Northern Italy. Br J Ind Med. 1979 Aug;36(3):187–194. doi: 10.1136/oem.36.3.187. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Terracini B., Anglesio E., Panero M., Vineis P. Descriptive epidemiology of cancer of the larynx in the province of Torino, Italy. Tumori. 1978 Oct 31;64(5):445–456. doi: 10.1177/030089167806400501. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Weiss W. Mortality of a cohort exposed to chrysotile asbestos. J Occup Med. 1977 Nov;19(11):737–740. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES