Cancer mortality of granite workers 1940-1985.

A retrospective cohort study was undertaken to investigate the cancer mortality of granite workers. The study comprised 1026 workers who took up such work between 1940 and 1971. The number of person-years was 23,434, and the number of deaths was 296. During the total follow-up period, 59 tumours were observed as compared with 54.4 expected. An excess mortality from tumours was observed in workers followed up for 20 years or more. Of the 59 tumours, 31 were lung cancers (expected 19.9), and 18 gastrointestinal cancers (expected 11.6), nine of which were stomach cancers (expected 7.1). Mortality from lung cancer was excessive for workers followed up for at least 15 years (28 observed, 12.7 expected). The results indicate that granite exposure per se may be an etiological factor in the initiation or promotion of malignant neoplasms.