Abstract
Purpose
Workers of cement production are exposed to alkaline dust with irritant effects on the respiratory system. Most previous studies have examined workers in cement/asbestos factories, but there is limited information of the effects of exposures to Portland cement alone. The present study examines the effects of cement dust in a cohort of Portland cement workers through the analyses of their mortality records.
Methods
Using the records of a cement plant, we reconstructed the work history of all 748 male employees between 1956 and 2006. SMRs were computed for overall mortality and for specific causes of death for the cohort compared with the reference population. The analysis was also performed by subdividing the cohort in low- and high-exposure groups on the basis of the task of the worker and the length of his exposure.
Results
The overall mortality of the cohort (SMR = 0.87) as well as the mortality from all cancers (SMR = 0.64) and from cancers of the respiratory system (SMR = 0.56) was significantly lower compared to the reference population. Workers of the cement plant with higher exposures did not have an increased mortality risk from any cause. The only significantly elevated risk observed among these workers was for cancer of the respiratory system (SMR = 2.86), exclusively in the small subgroup of 39 workers with previous exposure to a cement/asbestos plant.
Conclusions
Portland cement workers had a statistically significant reduced risk of overall mortality and of all cancers mortality probably due to the healthy workers effect.
The study confirmed an increased risk of respiratory system cancer only in the subgroup with previous work exposure in a cement/asbestos plant.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Breslow NE, Day NE (1987) Rates and rate standardization. In: Heseltine E (ed) Statistical methods in cancer research—Volume II—The design and analysis of cohort studies. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, pp 48–79
Dietz A, Ramroth H, Urban T et al (2004) Exposure to cement dust, related occupational groups and laryngeal cancer risk: results of a population based case-control study. Int J Cancer 108:907–911. doi:10.1002/ijc.11658
EPA (1994) Industry description. In: EPA (ed) U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. Emission factor documentation for AP—42 Section 11.6: Portland cement manufacturing: final report. Research Triangle Park, p 9
Fell AKM, Thomassen TR, Kristensen P et al (2003) Respiratory symptoms and ventilatory function in workers exposed to Portland cement dust. J Occup Environ Med 45:1008–1014. doi:10.1097/01.jom.0000083036.56116.9d
Ferrante D, Bertolotti M, Todesco A et al (2007) Cancer mortality and incidence of mesothelioma in a cohort of wives of asbestos workers in Casale Monferrato, Italy. Environ Health Perspect 115:1401–1405. doi:10.1289/ehp.10195
Forastiere F, Lagorio S, Michelozzi P et al (1989) Mortality pattern of silicotic subjects in the Latium region, Italy. Br J Ind Med 46:877–880
HSE (2005) Portland cement dust. Hazard assessment document EH75/7. Environmental Hygiene series 2005. www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/web/portlandcement.pdf. Accessed 16 Nov 2010
IARC (1987) Working group on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. asbestos (Group 1). In: IARC (ed) lnternational Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans—OveraIl evaluations of carcinogenicity: an updating of IARC monographs, vols 1 to 42, Suppl 7. IARCPress, Lyon, p 106
IARC (1997) Summary of final evaluations. In: IARC (ed) lnternational Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans—silica, some silicates, coal dust and para-aramid fibrils, vol 68. IARCPress, Lyon, p 441
ISTAT (2010a) Datasets. Italian National Institute of Statistics. http://en.istat.it/dati/dataset/. Accessed 16 Nov 2010
ISTAT (2010b) Demography in figures. Italian National Institute of Statistics. http://demo.istat.it/index_e.html. Accessed 16 Nov 2010
Izquierdo M, Font O, Moreno N et al (2007) Influence of a modification of the petcoke/coal ratio on the leachability of fly ash and slag produced from a large PCC power plant. Environ Sci Technol 41:5330–5335
Jakobsson K, Horstmann V, Welinder H (1993) Mortality and cancer morbidity among cement workers. Br J Ind Med 50:264–272
Karstensen KH (2008) Formation, release and control of dioxins in cement kilns. Chemosphere 70:543–560. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.06.081
Laraqui CH, Laraqui O, Rahhali A et al (2001) Prevalence of respiratory problems in workers at two manufacturing centers of ready-made concrete in Morocco. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 5:1051–1058
Li L, Sun TD, Zhang X et al (2004) Cohort studies on cancer mortality among workers exposed only to chrysotile asbestos: a meta-analysis. Biomed Environ Sci 17:459–468
Magnani C, Leporati M (1998) Mortality from lung cancer and population risk attributable to asbestos in an asbestos cement manufacturing town in Italy. Occup Environ Med 55:111–114
Magnani C, Dalmasso P, Biggeri A et al (2001) Increased risk of malignant mesothelioma of the pleura after residential or domestic exposure to asbestos: a case-control study in Casale Monferrato, Italy. Environ Health Perspect 109:915–919
Magnani C, Ferrante D, Barone-Adesi F et al (2008) Cancer risk after cessation of asbestos exposure: a cohort study of Italian asbestos cement workers. Occup Environ Med 65:164–170. doi:10.1136/oem.2007.032847
Mwaiselage J, Bratveit M, Moen B et al (2005) Respiratory symptoms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among cement factory workers. Scand J Work Environ Health 31:316–323
Neghab M, Choobineh A (2007) Work-related respiratory symptoms and ventilatory disorders among employees of a cement industry in Shiraz, Iran. J Occup Health 49:273–278
NIOSH (2007) Chemical listing. In: DHHS (NIOSH) (ed) NIOSH Pocket guide to chemical hazards, 3rd edn. Superintendent of documents U.S. Government Printing Office P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, p 262
Oliver LC, Miracle-McMahill H (2006) Airway disease in highway and tunnel construction workers exposed to silica. Am J Ind Med 49:983–996. doi:10.1002/ajim.20406
Orman A, Kahraman A, Çakar H et al (2005) Plasma malondialdehyde and erythrocyte glutathione levels in workers with cement dust-exposure silicosis. Toxicology 207:15–20. doi:10.1016/j.tox.2004.07.021
Pournourmohammadi S, Khazaeli P, Eslamizad S et al (2008) Study on the oxidative stress status among cement plant workers. Hum Exp Toxicol 27:463–469. doi:10.1177/0960327108094956
Rylander R (1990) Environmental exposures with decreased risks for lung cancer? Int J Epidemiol 19(Suppl 1):S67–S72
Sichletidis L, Chloros D, Spyratos D et al (2009) Mortality from occupational exposure to relatively pure chrysotile: a 39 years study. Respiration 78:63–68. doi:10.1159/000163443
Sjödahl K, Jansson C, Bergdahl IA et al (2007) Airbone exposures and risk of gastric cancer: a prospective cohort study. Int J Cancer 120:2013–2018. doi:10.1002/ijc.22566
Smailyte G, Kurtinaitis J, Andersen A (2004) Mortality and cancer incidence among Lithuanian cement producing workers. Occup Environ Med 61:529–534. doi:10.1136/oem.2003.009936
Tjoe Nij E, Heederik D (2005) Risk assessment of silicosis and lung cancer among construction workers exposed to respirable quartz. Scand J Work Environ Health 31:49–56
Ulvestad B, Kjærheim K, Martinsen JI et al (2002) Cancer incidence among workers in the asbestos-cement producing industry in Norway. Scand J Work Environ Health 28:411–417
UNEP (2001) Stockholm convention on persistent organic pollutants. United Nations Environmental Programme 2001. http://chm.pops.int/Portals/0/Repository/convention_text/UNEP-POPS-COP-CONVTEXT-FULL.English.PDF. Accessed 16 Nov 2010
Vestbo J, Rasmussen FV (1990) Long-term exposure to cement dust and later hospitalization due to respiratory disease. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 62:217–220
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to the registry offices of all Italian municipalities contacted and in particular Dr Patrizia Carusi, chief of this service in Guidonia, and her staff for providing us the information requested. We also thank Dr Gina Galante who put us in touch with the Local Health Unit interested in studying the problem.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Giordano, F., Dell’Orco, V., Fantini, F. et al. Mortality in a cohort of cement workers in a plant of Central Italy. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 85, 373–379 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-011-0678-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-011-0678-8