Mortality and morbidity in a pulp and a paper mill in the United States: a ten-year follow-up.

Abstract

Two hundred and seventy-one men seen in 1963, who worked in a pulp and a paper mill, were followed up ten years later, in 1973. Death certificates were obtained for those who died. There did not appear to be any increased mortality in the group, nor was there any increased specific cause of death. A morbidity study of 200 men seen at both times did not show any differences in respiratory symptoms or prevalence of chronic non-specific respiratory disease. Analysis of pulmonary function showed little, if any, difference between groups. Analysis of retired, deceased, and still-working categories did suggest that exposures to Cl2 or SO2 might have a slight adverse effect on pulmonary function.In 1963 we made a cross-sectional study on a group of men who had been working in a pulp and a paper mill in Berlin, New Hampshire, USA (Ferris et al., 1967). Our purpose at that time was to see whether the exposure at work had an effect on chronic non-specific respiratory disease or pulmonary function. That study showed that the workers had less chronic non-specific respiratory disease than the general population, but the older men who had been exposed to chlorine and who were cigarette smokers had slightly lower expiratory flow rates at 50, 25, and 12-5 % of vital capacity than the men who had not been exposed to chlorine.In 1973 we restudied that cohort to determine whether they had a higher mortality than expected, or had developed respiratory disease. Methods PLANT PROCESSESThe pulp mill complex contained two chemical pulp mills-one a Kraft mill and the second a sulphite mill and, in addition, a chlorine plant. The sulphite mill and chlorine vlant were phased out after 1963, and the Kraft process increased. In both mills, wood chips are introduced into large

Mortality among production workers in pulp and paper mills.

“…For the entire cohort ( 6.9 expected, SMR 116), and lymphosarcoma and reticulosarcoma (10 observed, 5.9 expected, SMR 169). All intestinal malignancies were of the colon; none were of the small intestine.…”

“…In the only published retrospective cohort mortality study of workers in a pulp and paper mill, Ferris et al (6) followed for 10 years a cohort of 271 pulp and paper mill workers identified as actively working in the mill in 1963. Although only 33 deaths occurred among these workers by 1973, the 33 deceased paper and pulp mill workers were reported to have an overall standardized mortality ratio of 126.…”

Occupational asthma in a mineral analysis laboratory.

“…'4 15 One previous observation has drawn attention to persistent hyperreactivity in subjects exposed acutely to unusually high levels of an irritating aerosol in whom symptoms developed within a few hours and continued for periods of four years or more and in whom bronchial wall biopsy showed inflammation.6 Consistent with this hypothesis is the fact that in two of the three subjects with hyperreactivity who underwent serial testing in this study, recovery to normal levels of reactivity has been observed after seven and 12 months. Verification ofthis possibility would require a longitudinal study with measurements of bronchial reactivity starting before hiring.…”

“…They are crushed finely in a shed that houses crushing machinery and then transferred to a laboratory building where they are weighed in a weighing room and transferred to another room where quantitative analysis is undertaken. The minerals are dissolved in concentrated solutions of hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, nitric, perchloric, and sulphuric acids including "aqua regia", after which they are "digested" by heating them in open beakers in fume cupboards for [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] hours. The resulting solutions are then submitted for atomic absorption (AA) and inductive coupled plasma (ICP) spectrometry in separate adjacent rooms in the laboratory building.…”

Pulmonary function among pulp and paper workers in Berlin, New Hampshire.

“…Each year in the pulping process was associated with a 5-8 ml decrease in FEV, (p = 0 08) and a 7-2 ml decrease in FVC (p = 0-04) (model A, 7 9 ml/y, p = 0 12) than work in the sulphite mill (-4-2 ml/y, p = 0 35) or work in the chlorine operation (-57 ml/y, p = 037).…”