Mesothelioma in Shipyard Workers of Puget Sound, Washington (1978)

This short report used death certificates to study mesothelioma in four counties of the Puget Sound region of Washington State from 1968 through 1976. Each death certificate listing mesothelioma was matched with two other deaths of the same sex, ten-year age group and county, and usual occupations were compared. Among men in King and Kitsap counties, 30.3% of mesothelioma cases had worked at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton (Kitsap County), compared with 7.6% of controls. The authors reported that this difference was statistically significant. In Kitsap County alone the figures were 88.9% of cases versus 22.2% of controls. In King County alone they were 8.3% versus 2.1%, a difference that was not statistically significant. There were no significant results for women or for men in Pierce or Snohomish counties. Table III listed 9 male deaths in Kitsap County and 24 in King County. The authors concluded that the results agreed with earlier studies finding shipyard workers at increased risk and indicated a small epidemic of mesothelioma in Kitsap County.

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From J-M's medical library

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