Mortality Of Former Crocidolite (Blue Asbestos) Miners And Millers At Wittenoom

¹ Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Australia
² Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Australia
³ University of Western Australia, Australia
⁴ Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Australia
⁵ National Health System, Italy
⁶ University of Sydney, Australia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: bill.musk{at}health.wa.gov.au.

Accepted 21 November 2007

	Abstract

Introduction: Blue asbestos was mined and milled at Wittenoom in Western Australia between 1943 and 1966. Methods: 7000 male workers who worked at the Wittenoom mine and mill have been followed up at death and cancer registries throughout Australia and Italy to the end of 2000. Person years at risk were derived using two censoring dates in order to produce a minimum and maximum estimate of asbestos effect. Standardised Mortality Ratios (SMRs) compare the mortality of the former Wittenoom workers with the Western Australian male population. Results: There have been 190 cases of pleural and 32 cases of peritoneal mesothelioma in this cohort of former workers of Wittenoom. Mortality from Lung cancer (SMR=1.52), Pneumoconiosis (SMR=15.5), Respiratory diseases (SMR=1.58) Tuberculosis (3.06), Digestive diseases (SMR=1.47), Alcoholism (SMR=2.24) and Symptoms, signs and ill defined conditions (SMR=2.00) were greater in this cohort compared to the Western Australian male population. Conclusion: Asbestos related diseases particularly malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer and pneumoconiosis continue to dominate as the main causes of excess mortality in the former blue asbestos miners and millers of Wittenoom.

Keywords: Wittenoom, asbestos related diseases, crocidolite, mortality

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