Mortality at British factories engaged in coal carbonisation and tar distillation

This paper describes mortality over a nine-year period among workers employed at two coal tar distillation factories, one patent fuel factory involving some coal carbonisation, and 13 coke works. Vital status at 31st December 1975 was established for 96.3 per cent of the 4836 men identified as eligible for the study.The numbers at risk at the two tar distillation works are too small to justify any clear conclusion at this stage. It is noted that at one of them there is a tendency for death rates to be higher than for all men in England and Wales.General mortality at the patent fuel factory, in Wales, was close to that which might be expected among similarly aged Welsh industrial workers. The proportion of deaths attributed to cancers of various anatomical sites was unusually high.On average, there were fewer deaths among men in the 13 coke works than expected for all men in England and,Wales; but coke workers aged less than 55 had higher death rates, particularly as a result of ischaemic heart disease and malignant neoplasms, while their older colleagues had correspondingly lower mortality.Lung cancer death rates for the 3962 coke workers were higher than among men of similar age in England and Wales. The excess occurred in nine of the 13 works considered. The effect is particularly marked among men aged 45 to 54 years. At older ages there was a small excess compared with all men in England and Wales, and a deficit compered with male industrial workers. The proportion of deaths attributed to lung cancer was unusually high at all ages. There is no evidence that the effect is associated exclusively or primarily with coke ovens.Smoking habits at four of the coke works and at the patent fuel factory were similar to those of men outside the industry.Some suggestive patterns are noted relating mortality from cancer of the lung and of the digestive organs to age and to period and type of employment in the industry. These will be studied further as the project continues.