NOTIFICATION AND RISK ASSESSMENT FOR BLADDER-CANCER OF A COHORT EXPOSED TO AROMATIC-AMINES .3. MORTALITY AMONG WORKERS EXPOSED TO AROMATIC-AMINES IN THE LAST BETA-NAPHTHYLAMINE MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN THE UNITED-STATES

  • 1 January 1985
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 27  (7) , 495-500
Abstract
A retrospective cohort mortality study was conducted among workers employed at the last facility in the USA that manufactured .beta.-naphthylamine (BNA), a recognized human bladder carcinogen. This study was conducted in conjunction with a pilot project in which workers were notified of the health risks associated with exposures to carcinogenic amines. Cause-specific mortality for 1312 male workers employed between 1940 and 1972, and followed through 1979, was compared with the mortality of the general population in the U.S. Two deaths from bladder cancer were observed while 0.7 such deaths were expected. Due to the use of these potent carcinogenic amines. It was anticipated that more bladder cancer deaths would be found in this population. The reasons for the small number of bladder cancer deaths could be the low percentage of the work force exposed, an inadequate latency period, and/or the high survival rate for bladder cancer. A notification and medical screening project recently conducted in this same population found an additional 11 bladder cancer cases. Mortality may not always be an adequate indicator of disease risk.