Mortality from lung cancer and other diseases related to smoking among fishermen in north east Italy

Commercial Fishing as an Occupational Determinant of Opioid Overdoses and Deaths of Despair in Two Massachusetts Fishing Ports, 2000-2014

The opioid epidemic has had disproportionate effects across various sectors of the population, differentially impacting various occupations. Commercial fishing has among the highest rates of occupational fatalities in the United States. This study used death certificate data from two Massachusetts fishing ports to calculate proportionate mortality ratios of fatal opioid overdose as a cause of death in commercial fishing. Statistically significant proportionate mortality ratios revealed that commercial fishermen were greater than four times more likely to die from opioid poisoning than nonfishermen living in the same fishing ports. These important quantitative findings suggest opioid overdoses, and deaths to diseases of despair in general, deserve further study in prevention, particularly among those employed in commercial fishing.

Comparison of hospitalization among German coastal and deep sea fishermen

PURPOSE

This study aims to compare the hospitalization of German fishermen employed on German-flagged fishing vessels with that of the general German population in consideration of differences between coastal and deep sea fishery.

METHODS

By means of a database from the health insurance company for seafarers, diagnoses of German fishermen treated in German hospitals were determined from January 1997 to December 2007. Compared with the general German population, the fishermen's risk for specific diseases leading to hospitalization was calculated as standardized hospitalization ratio (SHR).

RESULTS

Compared with the German reference population, German fishermen showed a considerably high SHR for malignant neoplasms at all sites (SHR 1.46; 95% CI 1.37-1.56), for respiratory cancer, and for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Furthermore, they had more often been hospitalized due to diabetes mellitus, diseases of the respiratory and digestive systems as well as due to injury and poisoning. The risk for respiratory cancer and NHL among coastal fishermen exceeded that of deep sea fishermen, whereas the latter displayed a considerably higher SHR for diabetes mellitus, diseases of the respiratory system and metabolic and nutritional disorders. In contrast, the SHR for hypertensive and ischemic heart diseases was decreased among deep sea fishermen. Less qualified deep sea fishermen displayed a considerably higher SHR for malignant neoplasms at all sites than more highly qualified ones.

CONCLUSIONS

Fishery is still an occupation which poses a high risk for malignant neoplasms and injuries. This is likely due to lifestyle and work-related factors. Further studies are needed to evaluate the different working and living conditions of coastal and deep sea fishermen.

Cancer and noncancer mortality among American seafood workers

Background

Few studies have investigated mortality in seafood workers worldwide, and no such study has been conducted in the United States. The objective of this study was to investigate mortality in American seafood workers.

Methods

The study population was derived from 4 states and consisted of 4116 subjects who worked mainly in seafood processing plants. They were followed up from 1966 to 2003. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) were estimated, using the US general population for comparison.

Results

About 45% of the cohort was born after 1949. A total of 788 deaths were recorded; 53% of the decedents were female, and 88% were white. The SMRs for stomach cancer and disorders of the thyroid gland in the cohort as a whole were 2.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1–3.8) and 6.1 (95% CI 1.3–18.0), respectively. The SMRs for breast cancer, and occlusion/stenosis of the pre-cerebral/cerebral arteries in the cohort as a whole were 0.5 (95% CI, 0.3–0.9) and 0.5 (95% CI, 0.2–0.8), respectively. The SMR for ischemic heart disease in white females was 0.8 (95% CI, 0.6–0.9).

Conclusions

This cohort had excess deaths from stomach cancer and disorders of the thyroid gland, and deficit of deaths from breast cancer, stroke and ischemic heart disease. The significance of these findings is unknown, especially as less than 20% of the cohort were deceased. Nevertheless, the cohort is unique and important, and further follow-up may shed more light on mortality patterns in this occupational group.

Psychoactive substances consumption in French fishermen and merchant seamen

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to assess tobacco consumption, nicotine dependence as diagnosed by Fagerström test, alcohol consumption, alcohol dependence as diagnosed by CAGE questionnaire and drug consumption in French seamen. Results are presented according to job category: fishermen and merchant seamen.

METHODS

French seamen were recruited from a stratified survey of 19 ports in France. Subjects completed a questionnaire during their annual medical check-up. The questionnaire covered demographic and professional items, tobacco, alcohol and drug consumption behaviour. Nicotine and alcohol dependence were, respectively, assessed by the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and a French version of the CAGE questionnaire. A urine test was used to detect cannabis derivatives.

RESULTS

Prevalence rates for current smoking and daily alcohol consumption were higher in fishermen than merchant seamen. The prevalence of nicotine dependence on FTND was likewise higher in fisherman smokers, who also showed more intense smoking behaviour. The category of seamen did not correlate with alcohol addiction, but differences in alcohol-related behaviour emerged between fishermen and merchant seamen. Prevalence of cannabis and other drug use was higher in merchant seamen, although the two categories of seaman did not differ with respect to recent use of cannabis. Demographic factors cannot fully explain these differences, as multivariate analysis showed significantly greater risks in marine fisheries.

CONCLUSIONS

Alcohol and tobacco consumption are a major public health problem for seafarers. Fishermen seem to be more liable to high consumption. Working conditions may explain these differences.

Mortality in a cohort with high fish consumption

BACKGROUND

Our aim was to assess the mortality of fishermen and fishermen's wives in Finland, presuming that the mortality reflects their high consumption of contaminated fish.

METHODS

All Finnish fishermen, registered since 1980, were identified from the Professional Fishermen Register (N = 6410), and the fishermen's wives from the national population register (N = 4260). The cohorts were individually linked with cause-of-death data until 2005 at Statistics Finland. The follow-up started in the year after the first registration as a fisherman and at marriage (if later) for the wives. The standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated based on the national mortality rates. In addition, blood samples and food frequency questionnaire data were collected from a volunteer sample.

RESULTS

The average fish consumption and serum concentrations of fish-derived fatty acids and environmental contaminants were higher among the fishermen and their wives than among the general population from the same region. The fishermen and their wives had lower mortality from all causes (SMR 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73-0.82, and 0.84, 0.76-0.93, respectively), and ischaemic heart diseases (0.73, 0.65-0.81, and 0.65, 0.50-0.83) than the general population. Mortality from cerebrovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms was decreased among the fishermen (0.67, 0.52-0.85, and 0.90, 0.80-1.01), but not among the wives. In addition, the fishermen's mortality from water transport accidents was extremely high (8.31, 5.65-11.79).

CONCLUSIONS

The fishermen and their wives had lower mortality from many natural causes. The high intakes of environmental contaminants in fish were not seen as excess mortality.

Occupational mortality in British commercial fishing, 1976-95

AIMS

To establish the causes and circumstances of all deaths occurring at work or related to work among fishermen in British commercial fishing between 1976 and 1995.

METHODS

A retrospective study, based on official mortality files, with a population of 440 355 fishermen-years at risk.

RESULTS

Of 616 deaths in British fishing, 454 (74%) were due to accidents at work, and 394 (87%) of these fishermen drowned. A total of 270 accidents were caused by casualties to vessels and 184 by personal accidents. There was no significant decline in the fatal accident rate, 103.1 per 100 000 fishermen-years, between 1976 and 1995. The fatal accident rate was 52.4 times higher (95% CI 42.9 to 63.8) than for all workers in Great Britain during the same period, and this relative risk increased through the 1980s up to 76.6 during 1991-95. Relative risks with the construction (12.3) and manufacturing (46.0) industries were higher than 5 and 20 respectively, during 1959-68. Trawlers foundering in adverse weather was the most frequent cause of mortality from casualties to vessels (115 deaths), and 82 of 145 personal accidents at sea arose during operations involving trawling nets.

CONCLUSIONS

When compared with shore based industries, fishing remains at least as hazardous as before. Prevention should be aimed, most importantly, at the unnecessary operation of small vessels and trawling net manoeuvres in hazardous weather and sea conditions. Other measures should focus on preventing falls overboard, reducing fatigue, a more widespread use of personal flotation devices, and improvements in weather forecast evaluation.

Predictors of cancer mortality in elderly subjects

Cancer mortality was analysed in 3282 elderly subjects aged > or =65 years from 2 cohorts of general population having different life-style patterns. They took part in the CASTEL (CArdiovascular STudy in the ELderly), a 12-year lasting prospective Italian study. The aim of the present analysis was to identify the items able to influence cancer mortality. A biochemical profile and a questionnaire on lifestyle were collected. Continuous items were averaged and compared with analysis of variance, frequencies with the Pearson's chi2 test. Mortality was recorded yearly for 12 years from the Registrar's Office and causes of death double-checked by consulting medical case sheets and family doctors' files. The influence of items on mortality was evaluated with the Cox multivariate analysis. Relative risk (RR) of each item was adjusted for confounders. Age, gender, tobacco smoking, the presence of respiratory symptoms, low body mass index in males, serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), as well as the town of residence, were powerful predictors of cancer mortality. In the entire population, 12-year overall mortality was 49.4%, cardiovascular 22.8%, and neoplastic 11%; the latter was higher in males than in females (15.7% vs. 7.9%, p < 0.00001). In subjects with respiratory symptoms neoplastic mortality was 11.6% (RR: 1.47) vs. 9.7% in those without symptoms (p < 0.01). Subjects with very low cholesterol (< or = 178 mg/dl), those with high uric acid (> or =8.7 mg/ dl) and males with low body mass index (< or =22.7 kg/ m2) has an increased risk of cancer mortality. RR of cancer mortality increased with increasing ALT or ALP. It was approximately 1 in those having ALT and ALP between 9 and 41.2 U/I, 1.41 in those exceeding this latter level and < 1 in those below 9 U/I. RR of ALP had a similar trend, the best protective cut-off value being < 106 and the worst one > 177 U/I. When both serum enzymes were simultaneously raised, RR of cancer mortality increased to 2.84.