Mortality among rubber workers: X. Reclaim workers

Abstract

This study evaluated the mortality experience of 1,352 white and 438 nonwhite men who worked in the rubber-reclaiming division of a large rubber manufacturing company. In comparisons of mortality of white reclaim workers with that of nonreclaim workers rate ratios were 2.7 for esophageal cancer (six observed deaths among reclaim workers), 2.1 for bladder cancer (seven observed deaths), and 4.5 for multiple myeloma (six observed deaths). The excess of bladder cancer among white reclaim workers may be associated with their employment in other high-risk areas of the plant, whereas no such explanation was found for the excesses of esophageal cancer and multiple myeloma. Overall, the lung cancer mortality rate of white reclaim workers was similar to the rate of US white males and other white rubber workers. There was a 50% excess of lung cancer deaths among nonwhite reclaim workers compared with other nonwhite rubber workers. However, this observation is based on small numbers, and no firm conclusions can be reached about the risk of lung cancer associated with reclaim operations in this group of rubber workers.