A nine year retrospective mortality study of workers a british pharmaceutical company

Hazards associated with work in the pharmaceutical industry are not clearly defined. To investigate this problem during 1973-1981, 672 deaths were identified among present and past employees of a large British pharmaceutical company. Initial comparisons of these deaths with those presenting in the general population suggested that there was an excess for various cancers and pneumonia among company employees of both sexes. Further comparisons were limited to company employees. Specifically, causes of death were analysed according to likely exposure to hazardous substances. The numbers of cases with adequate work histories for these analyses were small. Nonetheless, there was evidence of a possible occupational risk for a range of cancer sites among males. The finding was not statistically significant, but it was consistent with earlier results. Additional studies with a concurrent cohort design are recommended.