A proportional mortality study in workers in a Guangzhou dyeing and textile factory

Objective To compare the causes of death of dyeing and textile factory workers with death from the Guangzhou population Methods Causes of death of these workers were recorded and the standardized proportional mortality ratios (SPMR) was calculated Results ① The noise level was ranged 87 8 102 7 dB(A) and the cotton dust concentration was ranged 0.67 1.59 mg/m 3 at the textile workshop. ② The main causes of death were shown to be tumors (43 3%, 29/67) and cardiovascular diseases(32 8%, 22/67) ③ The values of SPMR showed that the worker were more likely to die from malignant tumors or cardiovascular diseases than the Guangzhou population, especially in liver cancer in males and in breast cancer in females. In males, the SPMR of liver cancer was 655 74% in dyeing workers In females, that of breast cancer was 869 57% in textile workers They were all significantly higher than the same gender’s PMR of the Guangzhou population Conclusion The carcinogenicity of dyestuffs and their intermediate products cannot be ignored Whether textile workers had higher breast cancer risk than the population needs further investigation Banning of smoking in the workplace should be strongly advocated