Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Occupational and Environmental Medicine logoLink to Occupational and Environmental Medicine
. 2000 Feb;57(2):94–97. doi: 10.1136/oem.57.2.94

Risk of mortality, cancer incidence, and stroke in a population potentially exposed to cadmium

P Elliott 1, R Arnold 1, S Cockings 1, N Eaton 1, L Jarup 1, J Jones 1, M Quinn 1, M Rosato 1, I Thornton 1, M Toledano 1, E Tristan 1, J Wakefield 1
PMCID: PMC1739911  PMID: 10711276

Abstract

OBJECTIVES—To follow up mortality and cancer incidence in a cohort potentially exposed to cadmium and to perform a geographical (ecological) analysis to further assess the health effects of potential exposure to cadmium.
METHODS—The English village of Shipham has very high concentrations of cadmium in the soil. A previous cohort study of residents of Shipham in 1939 showed overall mortality below that expected, but a 40% excess of mortality from stroke. This study extends the follow up of the cohort for mortality to 1997, and includes an analysis of cancer incidence from 1971 to 1992, and a geographical study of mortality and cancer incidence. Standardised mortality and incidence ratios (SMRs and SIRs) were estimated with regional reference rates. Comparisons were made with the nearby village of Hutton.
RESULTS—All cause cohort mortality was lower than expected in both villages, although there was excess cancer incidence in both Shipham (SIR 167, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 106 to 250) and Hutton (SIR 167, 95% CI 105 to 253). There was an excess of mortality from hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, and nephritis and nephrosis, of borderline significance, in Shipham (SMR 128, 95% CI 99 to 162). In the geographical study, all cause mortality in Shipham was also lower than expected (SMR 84, 95% CI 71 to 100). There was an excess in genitourinary cancers in both Shipham (SIR 160, 95% CI 107 to 239) and Hutton (SIR 153, 95% CI 122 to 192).
CONCLUSION—No clear evidence of health effects from possible exposure to cadmium in Shipham was found despite the extremely high concentrations of cadmium in the soil.


Keywords: cadmium; mortality; cancer incidence

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (105.1 KB).

Selected References

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

  1. Armstrong B. G., Kazantzis G. Prostatic cancer and chronic respiratory and renal disease in British cadmium workers: a case control study. Br J Ind Med. 1985 Aug;42(8):540–545. doi: 10.1136/oem.42.8.540. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Carstairs V., Morris R. Deprivation: explaining differences in mortality between Scotland and England and Wales. BMJ. 1989 Oct 7;299(6704):886–889. doi: 10.1136/bmj.299.6704.886. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Elghany N. A., Schumacher M. C., Slattery M. L., West D. W., Lee J. S. Occupation, cadmium exposure, and prostate cancer. Epidemiology. 1990 Mar;1(2):107–115. doi: 10.1097/00001648-199003000-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Inskip H., Beral V., McDowall M. Mortality of Shipham residents: 40-year follow-up. Lancet. 1982 Apr 17;1(8277):896–899. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(82)92163-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Iwata K., Saito H., Moriyama M., Nakano A. Renal tubular function after reduction of environmental cadmium exposure: a ten-year follow-up. Arch Environ Health. 1993 May-Jun;48(3):157–163. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1993.9940814. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Järup L., Berglund M., Elinder C. G., Nordberg G., Vahter M. Health effects of cadmium exposure--a review of the literature and a risk estimate. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1998;24 (Suppl 1):1–51. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kjellström T. Mechanism and epidemiology of bone effects of cadmium. IARC Sci Publ. 1992;(118):301–310. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Morgan H., Smart G. A., Sherlock J. C. The Shipham report. An investigation into cadmium contamination and its implications for human health. Intakes of metal. Sci Total Environ. 1988 Aug 15;75(1):71–100. doi: 10.1016/0048-9697(88)90160-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Nishijo M., Nakagawa H., Morikawa Y., Tabata M., Senma M., Miura K., Takahara H., Kawano S., Nishi M., Mizukoshi K. Mortality of inhabitants in an area polluted by cadmium: 15 year follow up. Occup Environ Med. 1995 Mar;52(3):181–184. doi: 10.1136/oem.52.3.181. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. POTTS C. L. CADMIUM PROTEINURIA--THE HEALTH OF BATTERY WORKERS EXPOSED TO CADMIUM OXIDE DUST. Ann Occup Hyg. 1965 Mar;8:55–61. doi: 10.1093/annhyg/8.1.55. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Rooney C., Beral V., Maconochie N., Fraser P., Davies G. Case-control study of prostatic cancer in employees of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. BMJ. 1993 Nov 27;307(6916):1391–1397. doi: 10.1136/bmj.307.6916.1391. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Simms D. L., Morgan H. The Shipham report. An investigation into cadmium contamination and its implications for human health. Introduction. Sci Total Environ. 1988 Aug 15;75(1):1–10. doi: 10.1016/0048-9697(88)90156-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Simpson S., Cossey R., Diamond I. 1991 population estimates for areas smaller than districts. Popul Trends. 1997 Winter;(90):31–39. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Staessen J. A., Buchet J. P., Ginucchio G., Lauwerys R. R., Lijnen P., Roels H., Fagard R. Public health implications of environmental exposure to cadmium and lead: an overview of epidemiological studies in Belgium. Working Groups. J Cardiovasc Risk. 1996 Feb;3(1):26–41. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Strehlow C. D., Barltrop D. The Shipham report. An investigation into cadmium contamination and its implications for human health. Health studies. Sci Total Environ. 1988 Aug 15;75(1):101–133. doi: 10.1016/0048-9697(88)90161-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Thornton I. The Shipham report. An investigation into cadmium contamination and its implications for human health. Metal content of soils and dusts. Sci Total Environ. 1988 Aug 15;75(1):21–39. doi: 10.1016/0048-9697(88)90158-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. West D. W., Slattery M. L., Robison L. M., French T. K., Mahoney A. W. Adult dietary intake and prostate cancer risk in Utah: a case-control study with special emphasis on aggressive tumors. Cancer Causes Control. 1991 Mar;2(2):85–94. doi: 10.1007/BF00053126. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Occupational and Environmental Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES