Mortality of an asbestos-exposed birth cohort. A pilot study.

A pilot study on the health effects of environmental exposure to asbestos (in particular the development of mesothelioma) is almost complete. This is a record linkage study, using birth and death records as the primary sources of data. The vital status and, if applicable, the cause of death was examined for each of the 1227 members of the 'pilot' cohort (birth years 1932-1936). Preliminary results are presented. Eighty-seven per cent (399) of the white cohort members have been traced and the vital status of each has been determined. Sixty-six whites have died, 6 from mesothelioma. It is almost impossible to trace the black and coloured cohort members and the main study, covering the years of birth 1917-1936, may have to be restricted to whites.