Document Xz6aZBB022Nk6KoNM359g6RD4

HFM -003518 TABLE 3 Deaths among 17,800 asbestos insulation workers in the United States and Canada January 1,1967-January-.I-, 1977: Analysis ,by v duration from onset of employment Total man Man-yeart of observation 12.683 89,466 Before 20 years from onset Expected* Observed 12,061 77,389 20 or more yeers from onset Expected* Observed Total deaths, all causas 283.93 324 1477.01 1,946 Cancer, all sites 42.65 83 277.25 911 Lung cancer Pleural mesothelioma Peritoneal mesothelioma Cancer of esophagus Cancer of stomach CanpBr of colon-rectum Asbestosis 1Z03 .. ** 0.66 1.56 4.07 36 2 3 1 1 4 8 93.94 * ** 6.35 12.67 33.79 449 64 106 17 21 55 164 * Expected deaths are bated upon whfto malt age specific mortality data of the U.S. National Cantor for Health Statistic* for 1967-1976 and extrapolation to 1976. **Thesa are rare causes of death In the general population. 4' ... - tween 1964 and 1971, with radiologically evident pleural plaques; these plaques were considered to signal prior.shipyard employment. Controls were 429 men from a neighboring city (Carlisle), matched for age and date of X-ray; they had no plaques on their roentgenograms. Both groups were observed through 1976, i.e., for a minimum of five years. Among the 429 men with pleural plaques, there were 127 deaths; those with no plaques suffered 74 deaths. The excess was primarily in two categories, lung cancer and mesothelioma. There were T9 deaths from lung cancer and 23 from mesothelioma among the former shipyard workers. As for the com trols, four died of lung cancer and none, died of mesothelioma. Findings of an extraordinary increase -, of mesothelioma were also reported last , year from the French shipyard area ih Western Brittany. Lajartre et al. analyzed cases of pleural mesothelioma in Nantes; In the period 1957-63, there were two cases; from 1964-1970 there were 12; and from 1971-1974 there were 24.12 This was interpreted as consistent with the mark edly increased shipbuilding program dur ing and after World War II, and with its attendant risk of asbestos exposure. 4- aooi. e t' CA-A CANCER JOURNAL FOR CLINICIANS. TABLE# Deaths among 17,800 asbestos insulation worker* in the United States end Can*da< dsn. 1,1967-4*n 1,1977: 1 Analysis by duration froiii onset of amptoymant ' Duration Numfrom bar onset of (years) men - Person- . years of observation Lunge Expected* Observed Pleural mesothelioma NO./1000 parson-years Peritoneal mssothelionMi N0./IOOO , . person-years <10 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 36r39 40-44 45+ 5,552 26483 9,063 29,003 9,948 5 34,069 8487 .31,269 6,696 20467 ; 3,547 4 11.698 2,019 5,401 . 1,108 ' 3,160 1,030 v: 5406 069 2.77 8.57 17.03 21.04 18.48 11.47 8.12 17.82 0 7 29 59 104 112 - 66 39 : 69 0 0 046 0.19 0.73 0,86 2:96 1.27 2.45 0 0 0.09 0.10 0.87 140 343 5.06 5.47 , ; 'Expected daathtara based upon white male eg* specific mortality data of the U.S. National CerrUfrfor H^elth Sttrtlstles lor 1967-t97B and axtrapolatlon to 1976: . Smoking hapHtbyttakyn Into account. ASBESTOS DISEASE IN U S; SHIPYARDS employed in shipyards had unhappy dis ease experience, with markedly increased death rates of cancer (lung cancer, pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma, There has been comparatively little writ gastrointestinal cancer) and asbest^ds.14 ten concerning thepotential for asbestos- These Observations, however, wer,con- disease hazards hi U.S. shipyards. In part, fined to insulation workers, and jwhile;' this may have been. due to the fact that in they painted to a possible accompanying the latter part of World War II a survey difficulty among other shipyard trades, ' directed to this question failed to demon expedally in view of British experience, strate the prevalqace of significant asbes detailed observations concerning, ^ther tos disease. At thktTime, 1,074 insulation workers werenot available. workers employ&Frin TJiS: yards were " The potential for asbestos disease in; examined and, with few exceptions, no U.S. shipyards was further highiigh|^d by evidence of disease ikas fopnd. ^Unfortu accumulatingknowledge that the workers nately, the significance of the fact mat the who manufactured the asbestos insulation very large majority, of men had begun, materials used in U.S. yards during and working only a shojrt time before was not afterWorld War II were themselves found appreciated; neither was it understood to suffer serious asbestos disease. Inyesti-. that X-ray evidence of disease could not gatiops of the employees at one such plant be expected to appear until one or two de showed markedly increased risk of neo cades later. plastic disease and asbestosis, including During the 1960's, evidence accumu - increased risk of death of cancer with as lated that "asbestos workers" (insulation) little as one month of employment; *5; *6 VOL: 28, NO. 2 MARCH/APRIL 1978 8C01 6921