ILO Home
Go to the home page
Site map | Contact us Français | Español

CISDOC database

Document ID (ISN)51704
CIS number 89-820
ISSN - Serial title 0007-1072 - British Journal of Industrial Medicine
Year 1987
Convention or series no.
Author(s) Gubéran E., Usel M.
Title Unusual mortality pattern among short term workers in the perfumery industry in Geneva
Bibliographic information Sep. 1987, Vol.44, No.9, p.595-601. 29 ref.
Abstract A cohort of 537 workers employed for less than 1yr between 1900 and 1964 in the Geneva perfumery industry was followed up from entry to the end of 1983. During this period, 251 workers died and 41 (8%) were lost to follow up. The standardised mortality ratio (SMR) was significantly above 100 for all causes (SMR=120), all cancers (SMR=127), lung cancer (SMR=186), and violent death (SMR=179). The highest SMR from all causes was associated with the shortest period of employment (less than 2 months) and it decreased significantly with longer duration. Such mortality excesses had not been recorded among the 1,168 workers of the same industry employed 1yr or more, previously studied in similar fashion. These findings show that short-term workers share atypical features related to high mortality from various causes and that mortality in this subgroup should be analysed separately in occupational studies.
Descriptors (primary) mortality; flower and perfume-plant growing; exposure evaluation
Descriptors (secondary) carcinogens; Switzerland; tuberculosis; perfumes; respiratory diseases; toxic substances; neoplasms; long-term study; short-term exposure; long-term exposure; evaluation of results; length of exposure; cardiovascular diseases; epidemiologic study
Document type D - Periodical articles
Subject(s) Chemicals, plastics and rubber
Broad subject area(s) Occupational medicine, epidemiology
Browse category(ies) Bacterial and parasitic diseases
Agriculture
Exposure evaluation