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Mortality rates were tracked among 8,199 French potash workers during the years 1977 to 1987, to compare the mortality of workers exposed to heat during underground work (UW) to the mortality of daylight workers who had never been underground (NUW). Mortality rates for both groups were compared to local mortality rates. The mortality rate among UW workers was lower than among NUW workers, although deaths from lung cancer and ischemic heart disease (IHD) were higher in UW workers. Deaths from cancer of the digestive tract and cerebrovascular diseases were greater for NUW workers. Mortality from IHD in underground workers was found to drop over time, as opposed to stable mortality rates among daylight workers. The authors suggest that the increased risk of IHD is caused by working in a hot environment, but that this risk is offset by the generally younger and more physically fit character of the underground workers.
Epidemiology, 6(3):243-247, 1995. (14 references)
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