Mortality of Potash Workers (1973)

The study followed men employed at least one year between January 1940 and July 1967 at eight potash mining and milling companies near Carlsbad, New Mexico. There were 2743 mainly underground workers and 1143 mainly surface workers. The authors described the ore, mainly sodium and potassium salts, as containing no known carcinogens. Asbestos was not studied. Deaths to July 1, 1967 were compared with U.S. general-population rates. Lung cancer deaths did not differ significantly from expected, overall or by length of employment. Underground workers had a small but statistically significant excess of 'other' respiratory deaths, the only significant respiratory excess. Five of these 11 were pneumoconiosis, which the authors said was probably a result of these men's earlier non-potash mining in siliceous rock. Violent deaths were in excess, mostly non-motor-vehicle accidents among underground workers with under 15 years' experience. Surface workers had an unexplained deficit of non-respiratory cancer deaths. The authors concluded there was no evidence that underground miners are predisposed to lung cancer. They found no excess attributable to diesel engines but said too little time had passed to be definitive.

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From J-M's medical library

This copy comes from the Johns-Manville medical library. It was among the papers J-M kept in its medical library without an index entry.