Mortality Patterns Among Miners and Millers Occupationally Exposed to Asbestiform Talc (1979)

This retrospective cohort study looked at deaths among 398 white men first employed between 1947 and 1959 at one talc mine and mill in the Gouverneur Talc District of New York State, followed to June 30, 1975. The company said this mine's talc was not asbestiform. The authors described the exposure as asbestiform tremolite, anthophyllite and little free silica. Overall deaths exceeded those expected from U.S. white male rates, but the difference was not statistically significant. Lung (bronchogenic) cancer caused 9 deaths, a statistically significant excess over the number expected, and risk rose with time since first employment. Significant increases were also reported for some other non-malignant respiratory diseases, for respiratory tuberculosis (3 deaths against 0.49 expected), and for lymphatic and hematopoietic diseases. For these the text gives 5 deaths against 1.3 expected, but the article's damaged table appears to show 4 deaths. One man died of mesothelioma. He had also done construction work, and the authors could not draw conclusions about his case. Smoking habits were largely unknown. The authors concluded that exposure to Gouverneur talc is associated with increased risk of lung cancer and non-malignant respiratory disease.

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From J-M's medical library

This copy comes from the Johns-Manville medical library. J-M listed it in its medical library index as no. 001017.