Mortality in workers of a primary aluminum foundry in Portovesme in Sardinia]

The standard mortality rates (SMRs) were calculated for 1148 workers of a primary aluminium plant in Portovesme, Sardinia, hired between 1971, when production started, and 1980. Status (living or decreased) was ascertained as at 31 December 1990 and the relationship between observed and expected deaths with respective 95% confidence limits were calculated on the basis of age-specific regional rates for each calendar year of the follow-up. The SMR for all causes was 81 with confidence limits between 61 and 108 based on a total of 48 deaths. Mortality due to malignant neoplasms did not differ from the expected rate. The observed deaths due to lung cancer were decidedly less than the expected number (3 observed versus 4.7 expected). A significant excess of cancer of the pancreas was observed with special reference to anode production, based, however, on only 3 observed cases against 0.8 expected. In the absence of a more precise definition of the causes of death, of the environmental exposure levels and of the non-occupational confounding factors, and considering the young age of the cohort under study, it is at present doubtful whether the excess of cancer of the pancreas can be associated with work in the primary aluminium industry. The results should therefore be taken as preliminary, indicating that further studies are required.