New Report Confirms Elevated Mesothelioma Risk Among Coast Guard Workers, According to Surviving Mesothelioma
Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) February 14, 2017 -- Researchers with the National Cancer Institute, the US Military Academy, and the Uniformed Services University traced the health and work histories of Coast Guard workers in Baltimore in the 1950s and 1960s as part of a new study. Their conclusions are the subject of a new article on the Surviving Mesothelioma website. Click here to read it now.
The new analysis focused on shipyard workers’ exposure to five different types of chemicals including solvents, lead, oil/greases, wood dust and asbestos, the leading cause of mesothelioma.
According to the report in the Archives of Environmental and Occupational Health, not only were the Coast Guard shipyard workers at elevated risk for lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma, and early death, but asbestos exposure may have impacted the effort to gather data on other compounds.
“Findings from efforts to evaluate solvents, lead, oils/greases, and wood dust in isolation of asbestos suggested that the excesses from these other exposures may be due to residual confounding from asbestos exposure,” writes author Jennifer Rusiecki, a researcher in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics at the Uniformed Services University.
“Unfortunately, the sobering news about asbestos and shipyards is not only relevant to those who worked in the industry 50 years ago,” says Alex Strauss, Managing Editor for Surviving Mesothelioma. “Even today, those who repair or dismantle older ships face a similar mesothelioma risk without proper protection.”
For the details of the new study and to learn more about the impact of asbestos exposure in shipyards, see Mesothelioma Risk High Among Shipyard Workers now available on the Surviving Mesothelioma website.
Rusiecki, J, et al, “Mortality among Coast Guard Shipyard workers: a retrospective cohort study of specific exposures”, February 2017, Archives of Environmental and Occupational Health, Epub ahead of print, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19338244.2017.1289891?journalCode=vaeh20
For more than a decade, Surviving Mesothelioma has brought readers the most important and ground-breaking news on the causes, diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. All Surviving Mesothelioma news is gathered and reported directly from the peer-reviewed medical literature. Written for patients and their loved ones, Surviving Mesothelioma news helps families make more informed decisions.
Michael Ellis, Cancer Monthy, http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com, +1 (919) 570-8595, [email protected]
Share this article