Table 1. Characteristics of the full cohort of British asbestos workers, and of those who died with mesothelioma (1978–2005).
| Characteristic | Full cohort | Died with mesothelioma | Died from other causes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total number |
94 960 |
614 |
14 009 |
| Total follow-up time (years) |
1 636 004 |
9280 |
209 663 |
|
Sex,
n
(%) |
|
|
|
| Male | 90 640 (95) | 596 (97) | 13 202 (94) |
| Female |
4320 (5) |
18 (3) |
807 (6) |
| Age at entry, median (IQR) |
33 (25–44) |
47 (40–53) |
50 (42–57) |
| Year of entry, median (IQR) |
1985 (1977–1992) |
1976 (1975–1982) |
1976 (1974–1979) |
|
Main smoking status during follow-up,
n
(%) |
|
|
|
| Current | 54 744 (58) | 344 (56) | 9585 (68) |
| Former | 16 217 (17) | 168 (27) | 2908 (21) |
| Never |
23 999 (25) |
102 (17) |
1516 (11) |
|
Main occupation during follow-up,
n
(%) |
|
|
|
| Manufacturing | 27 034 (28) | 203 (33) | 7491 (53) |
| Removal | 50 545 (53) | 200 (33) | 2662 (19) |
| Other | 12 383 (13) | 82 (13) | 2446 (17) |
| Insulation |
4998 (5) |
129 (21) |
1410 (10) |
| Year of first occupational exposure to asbestos, median (IQR) |
1981 (1970–1991) |
1958 (1951–1967) |
1966 (1954–1974) |
| Age (years) at first occupational exposure to asbestos, median (IQR) |
27 (21–36) |
23 (16–34) |
35 (24–45) |
| Duration (years) of occupational exposure to asbestos, median (IQR) |
6.0 (2.0–16.1) |
26.5 (16.6–35.4) |
15.9 (6.7–28.5) |
|
Died with asbestosis,
n
(%)a |
|
|
|
| No | 14 159 (97) | 526 (86) | 13 630 (97) |
| Yes |
467 (3) |
88 (14) |
379 (3) |
|
Mesothelioma type,
n
(%) |
|
|
|
| Pleural | NA | 301 (49) | NA |
| Peritoneal | NA | 132 (22) | NA |
| Pleural+peritoneal | NA | 10 (2) | NA |
| Not specified | NA | 171 (28) | NA |
Abbreviations: IQR=interquartile range; NA=not applicable.
a
Total deaths in full cohort=14 623.