Hanford construction workers mesothelioma rate 11 times higher than expected
A study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine took a look at the mortality risks of former construction workers at Hanford, Washington and three other Department of Energy (DOE) sites. The study looked at 8,976 workers who had taken part in the building trades screening program at the various sites and had done an initial screening interview between 1998 and 2004.
Nearly one third of the people in the study had performed construction work at Hanford. Of the 266 Hanford workers who had died, 94 of them had died from cancer. This was a significant finding, as there were 14 more cancer deaths than could be expected from the general population. Most significantly, Hanford construction workers had a rate of mesothelioma that was 11 times more than would be expected in the general population.
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma can affect the lining surrounding the lungs, heart, or abdomen.
In addition to the high rate of mesothelioma and cancer deaths, Hanford workers also had a high rate of asbestosis deaths – 30 times higher than would be expected in the general population. Asbestosis is a noncancerous scarring of the lung tissue caused by inhaling toxic asbestos fibers. It is progressive, causes shortness of breath and can be fatal in severe cases.
The Hanford workers also had a higher risk of developing multiple myeloma – three times higher than the general population. Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that can be linked to exposure to radiation in the workplace.
Hanford workers had higher death rates for other diseases, but the numbers were not high enough to be statistically significant, meaning that the differences could be just a matter of chance. Some of the other sites had higher rates of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) deaths.
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