Mortality from cardiovascular diseases and exposure to inorganic mercury
P Boffettaa, G Sällstenb, M Garcia-Gómezc, V Pompe-Kirnd, D Zaridzee, M Bulbulyane, J-D Caballerof, F Ceccarellig, A B Kobalh, E Merleri
a Unit of
Environmental Cancer Epidemiology, International Agency for Research on
Cancer, 150 Cours Albert-Thomas, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, Lyon, France, b Department of Occupational
Medicine, University of Göteborg, Sweden, c Division of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health,
Madrid, Spain, d National
Cancer Registry, Institute of Oncology, Ljubljana, Slovenia, e Institute of Carcinogenesis, Cancer
Research Centre, Moscow, Russia, f Industrial and Occupational Service, Ciudad
Real, Spain, g National
Health Service, Abbadia San Salvatore, Italy, h Idrija Mercury Mine, Idrija, Slovenia, i Centre for the Study and Prevention of
Cancer, Florence, Italy
Correspondence to: Dr P Boffetta, boffetta{at}iarc.fr
Accepted 9 March 2001
OBJECTIVE
To
study the mortality from cardiovascular and other chronic
non-neoplastic diseases after long term exposure to inorganic mercury.
Limited information is available on the effect of chronic exposure to
mercury on the cardiovascular system.
METHODSThe
mortality was studied among 6784 male and 265 female workers from four
mercury mines and mills in Spain, Slovenia, Italy, and the Ukraine.
Workers were employed between 1900 and 1990; the follow up period
lasted from the 1950s to the 1990s. The mortality of the workers was
compared with national reference rates.
RESULTSAmong men,
there was a slight increase in overall mortality (standardised
mortality ratio (SMR) 1.08, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.04 to
1.12). An increased mortality was found from hypertension (SMR 1.46, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.93), heart diseases other than ischaemic (SMR 1.36, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.53), pneumoconiosis (SMR 27.1, 95% CI 23.1 to 31.6),
and nephritis and nephrosis (SMR 1.55, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.06). The
increase in mortality from cardiovascular diseases was not consistent
among countries. Mortality from hypertension and other heart diseases
increased with estimated cumulative exposure to mercury; mortality from
ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases increased with
duration of employment, but not with estimated exposure to mercury.
Results among women were hampered by few deaths.
CONCLUSIONDespite
limited quantitative data on exposure, possible confounding, and likely
misclassification of disease, the study suggests a possible association
between employment in mercury mining and refining and risk in some
groups of cardiovascular diseases.
Keywords: epidemiology; inorganic mercury; mining; cardiovascular diseases
© 2001 by Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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