MORTALITY AMONG WOMEN FIRST EMPLOYED BEFORE 1930 IN THE U.S. RADIUM DIAL-PAINTING INDUSTRY

Abstract

Mortality is described among a cohort of 634 women who worked In the U.S. radium dial-painting industry between 1915 and 1929, and whose names were obtained from employment lists or similar documents. Based on death rates for U.S. white females, greater than expected numbers of deaths (from death certificates) were observed for all causes (240 observed vs. 188.5 expected), bone cancer (22 vs. 0.3), cancer of other and unspecified sites (18 vs. 2.6), cancer of the colon (10 vs. 5.0), diseases of blood and bloodforming organs (4 vs. 1.0), and external causes (31 vs. 10.1). Six of 22 certificates coded to radiation accident (underlying cause) also mentioned bone cancer. Compared with women first employed In 1915–1924, those first employed In 1925–1929 had low cause-specific mortality ratios, and an overall mortality ratio of 0.83. The number of deaths from leukemia and diseases of blood was significantly greater than expected In the time period before 1945. Among 521 women alive In 1954, 360 had a radium body-burden measurement while living (in 1954 or later). Mortality ratios (all causes) of greater than 1.00 were observed only in the higher, intake dose groups (i.e., ≧50 μCI). Cause-specific mortality was analyzed in two dose groups (<50 and ≫50 μCI). In the lower dose group, the only cause category with a significantly greater number of observed than expected deaths was cancer of the colon (5 vs. 1.72, p < 0.05); the mortality ratio for all causes was 0.86. In the higher dose group, the mortality ratio for all causes was 1.91.