MORTALITY IN A COHORT OF ANTIMONY SMELTER WORKERS

Animal studies show that antimony may cause lung cancer and heart and lung disease in rodents. In exposed humans, ECG abnormalities and hear t and lung disease have been reported. This mortality study of 1,014 m en employed between 1937 and 1971 in a Texas antimony smelter consiste d primarily of workers of Spanish ancestry (n = 928, 91.5%). Hispanics are known to smoke at much lower rates than non-Hispanics, and their lung cancer and heart disease mortality is generally low. When ethnic- specific Texas lung cancer death rates were used for comparison, morta lity from lung cancer among antimony workers was elevated (SMR) 1.39, 90% CI 1.01-1.88), and we observed a significant positive trend in mor tality with increasing duration of employment. When ischemic heart dis ease death rates from three different Spanish-surnamed populations wer e used for comparison, the rate ratios for mortality from ischemic hea rt disease were 0.91 (90% CI 0.84-1.09), 1.22 (90% CI 0.78-1.89), and 1.49 (90% CI 0.84-2.63). Pneumoconiosis/ other lung disease death rate s for Spanish-surnamed men were unavailable and so calculation of rate ratios used white males as a comparison population (SMR 1.22; 90% CI 0.80-1.8O). These data suggest some increased mortality from lung canc er and perhaps nonmalignant respiratory heart disease in workers expos ed to antimony. However, conclusions are limited by possible confounde rs and the difficulty of identifying appropriate referent groups. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.