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    Mortality of former crocidolite (blue asbestos) miners and millers at Wittenoom

    Access Status
    Fulltext not available
    Authors
    Musk, A.
    De Klerk, N.
    Reid, Alison
    Ambrosini, G.
    Fritschi, L.
    Olsen, N.
    Merler, E.
    Hobbs, M.
    Berry, G.
    Date
    2008
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
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    Citation
    Musk, A. and De Klerk, N. and Reid, A. and Ambrosini, G. and Fritschi, L. and Olsen, N. and Merler, E. et al. 2008. Mortality of former crocidolite (blue asbestos) miners and millers at Wittenoom. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 65 (8): pp. 541-543.
    Source Title
    Occupational and Environmental Medicine
    DOI
    10.1136/oem.2007.034280
    ISSN
    1351-0711
    School
    Epidemiology and Biostatistics
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/16526
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Background: Blue asbestos was mined and milled at Wittenoom in Western Australia between 1943 and 1966. Methods: Nearly 7000 male workers who worked at the Wittenoom mine and mill have been followed up using death and cancer registries throughout Australia and Italy to the end of 2000. Person-years at risk were derived using two censoring dates in order to produce minimum and maximum estimates of asbestos effect. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) compare the mortality of the former Wittenoom workers with the Western Australian male population. Results: There have been 190 cases of pleural and 32 cases of peritoneal mesothelioma in this cohort of former workers at Wittenoom. Mortality from lung cancer (SMR = 1.52), pneumoconiosis (SMR = 15.5), respiratory diseases (SMR = 1.58), tuberculosis (SMR = 3.06), digestive diseases (SMR = 1.47), alcoholism (SMR = 2.24) and symptoms, signs and ill defined conditions (SMR = 2.00) were greater in this cohort compared to the Western Australian male population. Conclusion: Asbestos related diseases, particularly malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer and pneumoconiosis, continue to be the main causes of excess mortality in the former blue asbestos miners and millers of Wittenoom.

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    • The mortality of women exposed environmentally and domestically to blue asbestos at Wittenoom, Western Australia
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    • Gynecologic and breast cancers in women after exposure to blue Asbestos at Wittenoom
      Reid, Alison; Segal, A.; Heyworth, J.; De Klerk, N.; Musk, A. (2009)
      Introduction: Animal studies have suggested an association between asbestos and ovarian cancer, and asbestos fibers have been detected in human ovaries. Sexual intercourse may introduce asbestos fibers into the vagina and ...
    • The Wittenoom Legacy
      Musk, A.; Reid, A.; Olsen, N.; Hobbs, M.; Armstrong, B.; Franklin, P.; Hui, J.; Layman, L.; Brims, Fraser; Alfonso, H.; Shilkin, K.; Sodhi-Berry, N.; De Klerk, N. (2018)
      Introduction/Aim: In the fifty years since the Wittenoom crocidolite (blue asbestos) industry ceased operating, the epidemic of asbestos‐related diseases in Australia has intensified. Use of the employment records of the ...
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