Selikoff's Address to the Delegates of 21st Convention the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers

Our plain-English summary of Selikoff's Address to the Delegates of 21st Convention the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers, by I.J. Selikoff (1967).

The study

• Author: I.J. Selikoff
• Published: September 5-7, 1967
• Type of article: Conference paper
• Our copy: from Johns-Manville's own medical library. The article is still under copyright, so we describe it here rather than post it.

In plain English

This is a transcript of a 1967 convention speech. The author, the union's medical consultant, studied members of New York and New Jersey Locals 12 and 32. Of 632 members on December 31, 1942, 255 died by the end of 1962, against 203 expected from U.S. white male rates. Of 370 alive in 1963, 94 died by April 30, 1967, against 47 expected. Table 2 lists 27 deaths from cancer of the lung, pleura, bronchus and trachea (2.3 expected), 3 of them pleural mesotheliomas, plus 7 peritoneal mesotheliomas and 15 asbestosis deaths. The speech gave 10 stomach or colon cancer deaths (2 expected); the tables show 8. All 24 bronchogenic carcinoma deaths were in cigarette smokers (2.98 expected); none in men who never smoked regularly or smoked only pipes or cigars. X-ray changes were few and minimal under 10 years in the trade, frequent after 20 or more. The author tied asbestosis largely to how much dust was inhaled and, from experience so far, said lung cancer could be wiped out in the trade without cigarettes, though cases might still occur.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Transcript of a speech to a union convention. It reports mortality follow-up of union members compared with expected U.S. rates, X-ray findings, and a member questionnaire.
• Who was studied: 632 men who were members of insulation workers' Locals 12 and 32 (New York and New Jersey) on December 31, 1942, followed through 1962. The 370 of them still alive on January 1, 1963 were followed to April 30, 1967.
• Exposure: Asbestos dust from insulation work, with the focus on men in the trade at least 20 years. The speech notes that shipyard insulation often contained amosite.
• Main results:
  • Among the 632 men, 1943 to 1962: 255 deaths observed versus 203 expected.
  • Of the 255 deaths in the first period, 4 were from mesothelioma.
  • Among the 370 men, January 1963 to April 30, 1967: 94 deaths observed versus 47 expected.
  • Among the 370 men, Table 2 lists 27 deaths from cancer of the lung, pleura, bronchus and trachea, with 2.3 expected. This combined category includes 3 pleural mesotheliomas. In the speech the author called these 27 lung cancers, against 3 expected.
  • Among the 370 men there were 10 mesothelioma deaths in total, where none were expected: 3 pleural (counted within the 27 above) and 7 peritoneal.
  • Among the 370 men, the tables show 8 deaths from cancer of the stomach, colon and rectum: 3 stomach and 5 colon and rectum, with 1.2 expected for colon and rectum. In the speech the author said there were 10 stomach or colon cancer deaths, against 2 expected.
  • Among the 370 men, Table 2 lists 15 asbestosis deaths. In the speech the author said there were over 10, where none were expected.
  • Bronchogenic carcinoma deaths by smoking habit:
• Never smoked regularly: 0 observed in 48 men (0.05 expected).
• Pipe or cigar only: 0 observed in 39 men (0.13 expected).
• Regular cigarette smokers: 24 observed in 283 men (2.98 expected).
  • Of 346 men with less than 10 years in the trade, about one in 10 had any X-ray abnormality, and these changes were minimal. After 20 to 40 years, few had normal X-rays.
  • In the member questionnaire, about half of those who answered thought masks were good. Mask wearing did not differ by smoking.
• The authors' conclusion: The author said asbestosis depends largely on how much dust is inhaled. From experience so far, lung cancer had occurred only in cigarette smokers. The author said it could be wiped out as a problem in the trade if members did not smoke cigarettes, while cautioning that cases might still occur.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Expected numbers in Table 2 were based on U.S. mortality data that disregarded the subjects' smoking habits.
  • U.S. comparison data were not available for some causes, such as mesothelioma.
  • The author cautioned that lung cancer in non-smoking asbestos workers might still occur.
  • The author said there were no data yet on fibrous glass.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Insulator, Pleura, Bronchus, Pleural Mesothelioma, Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Colorectal Cancer, Bronchogenic Carcinoma, Lung Cancer.

Browse return to medical research.