Mortality experience among employees at a hydrometallurgical nickel refinery and fertiliser complex in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta (1954-95)
R Egedahl, M Carpenter, D Lundell
4808 Claremont-2,
Midland, Michigan 48642, USA
Correspondence to: Dr R Egedahl jpasieka{at}sherritt-intl.com
Accepted 4 July 2001
OBJECTIVE
To study the
mortality experience of workers at a hydrometallurgical nickel refinery
and fertiliser complex in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada.
METHODSA total of
1649 male employees of Sherritt International who worked for at least
12 continuous months during the years 1954 to 1978 at the Fort
Saskatchewan, Alberta hydrometallurgical nickel refinery and fertiliser
complex were followed up for an additional 17 years. Mortality was
ascertained from the Canadian mortality data base maintained by
Statistics Canada and covered the years 1954-95. Statistics were
analysed with Monson's computer program.
RESULTSTotal
mortality, when compared with the Canadian population, was
significantly below expectation. Fewer deaths were found for
circulatory disease, ischaemic heart disease, respiratory disease,
neoplasms, digestive cancer, and accidents, poisonings, and violence.
Among the 718 men in the group exposed to nickel, there were no deaths
due to nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer. Fewer deaths were found
for all causes, circulatory disease, ischaemic heart disease, neoplasms
and digestive cancer. Lower death rates were observed than expected for
respiratory malignancies and cancer of the bronchus and lung.
CONCLUSIONNo
association was found in this study between exposure to nickel
concentrate or metallic nickel in the hydrometallurgical refining
process and the subsequent development of respiratory cancer.
Keywords: epidemiology; nickel workers; mortality
© 2001 by Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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