A prospective cohort study of chromium plating workers in Japan.

A prospective cohort study was conducted in 415 small-scale chromeplating plants in Japan to examine the mortality of platers employed between 1970 and 1976. A group of 1,193 male metal platers was identified in 1976 and divided into a chromium plater subgroup (n = 626) and a nonchromium plater subgroup (n = 567). Both subgroups were followed from 1976 through December 1987. Among specific causes of death, only lung cancer was found to be significantly higher than expected for all platers (16 observed, 8.9 expected; SMR 179; 95% CI 102-290). This elevated SMR, however, was not statistically significant in either of the two plater subgroups. The SMR for lung cancer of the chromium plater subgroup was highest among those exposed for the shortest period and among those exposed in the most remote calendar years.