A cohort of 736 male and 167 female workers of two
anthophyllite mines in Finland was followed up through the Finnish
Cancer Registry for
cancer in 1953-91. Compared with the total
cancer incidence of the east Finnish population, the men had a raised risk of total
cancer (standardised incidence ratio (SIR) 1.7; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.4-1.9), mainly attributable to an excess in
lung cancer (SIR 2.8; 95% CI 2.2-3.6). The risk of
lung cancer was somewhat higher among workers classified as heavily exposed (SIR 3.2; 95% CI 2.4-4.1) than among those moderately exposed (SIR 2.3; 95% CI 1.5-3.6) and the risk increased with increasing smoking and with increasing time of work with exposure. There were four cases of
mesothelioma v 0.1 expected, all in men who smoked and had had a long and heavy
asbestos exposure. Among women, a non-significant excess in total
cancer (SIR 1.5; 95% CI 0.9-2.4) was found in the subgroup with heavy exposure to
asbestos.
Anthophyllite asbestos seems to have high potency in the
carcinogenesis of
lung cancer and low potency in
carcinogenesis of
mesothelioma in comparison with the other types of
asbestos.