A mortality study of coke oven workers in two South Wales integrated steelworks

Abstract

Six hundred and ten coke oven personnel were studied retrospectively over a period of 11 years (1954-65). During this time 82 died, 88 retired and 80 left, but all were treated. The Standardised Mortality Ratios (SMRs) have been calculated for four principal causes which have then been further analysed into 30 subgroups. The work was limited because the population was small and the records not detailed enough to analyse the mortality rates according to environmental exposures. Differences between SMRs obtained at the two works were quite marked (73 and 98) and the overall SMR of 85% was better than expected. The observed number of deaths from respiratory disease, malignant neoplasms and all other causes excluding cardiovascular, was very near that expected, but the numbers of deaths from cardiovascular disease and in particular arteriosclerotic disease, showed a significant deficit.