Læknablaðið - 15.05.1988, Blaðsíða 25

LÆKNABLAÐIÐ
187
mismunandi eftir búsetu og munurinn er mestur
milli íbúa stórborga og dreifbýlis. Dauðsföll úr
krabbameinum eru hlutfallslega fleiri í
stórborgum. Þetta á ekki hvað síst við um
lungnakrabbamein. Það hefði því verið æskilegt
að bera dánartölur bænda saman við það, sem
gerist hjá öðrum, sem búa utan
höfuðborgarsvæðisins. Svo nákvæmar
upplýsingar um dánartölur hérlendis liggja því
miður ekki fyrir, þannig að ekki er unnt að gera
slíkan samanburð.
Niðurstöðurnar, sem hér eru lagðar fram, vekja
spurningar um það, hvort dánarmein eru tengd
búskaparháttum svo sem bústofni, notkun véla,
áburðar og annarra efna. Upplýsingar um þessa
þætti er ekki að finna í félagaskrá lífeyrissjóðsins.
Þar sem rannsóknartíminn er stuttur, verða
niðurstöðurnar varðandi sjaldgæfari dánarmein
tölfræðilega óvissar. Þetta á við um húð- og
blóðkrabbamein. Þegar tímar líða og gerð verður
ný athugun á dánarmeinum bænda, verða
niðurstöður ótvíræðari, einkum ef tekst að bæta
við upplýsingum um búskaparhætti.
SUMMARY
A retrospective cohort study was performed to
determine the cause of death among 5,923 farmers in
lceland. Information on death occurring between 1977
and 1985 was obtained through the Statistical Bureau of
Iceland. The vital status could be ascertained for all
subjects in the study. Expected death rates were
calculated, based on the national rates for males in the
corresponding age groups and calendar years.
The number of deaths from all causes, malignant
neoplasms, lung cancer, ischemic heart disease,
respiratory diseases and accidents were less than
expected in the total cohort and in nearly all subcohorts.
There were no statistical significant excess risk,
however, SMR for cancer of skin was 2.30, SMR for
Hodgkin’s disease was 1.71 and for leukemia SMR was
1.60, in the total cohort.
The results are in concordance with those of most
previous studies among farmers, but because of short
follow-up time the excess risk found for deaths from
skin- and hematological malignancy did not reach
statistical significance. Further follow-up is planned in
the future.
HEIMILDIR
1. Pomrehn PR, Wallace RB, Burmeister LF.
Ischemic heart disease mortality in Iowa farmers.
The influence of life-style. JAMA 1982; 248:
1073-6.
2. Howe GR, Lindsay JP. A follow-up study of a
ten-percent sample of the Canadian labor force. 1.
Cancer mortality in males, 1965-73. JNCI 1983; 70:
37-44.
3. Gallagher RP, Threlfall WJ, Spinelli JJ, Band PR.
Occupational mortality patterns among British
Columbia farm workers. J Occup Med 1984; 26:
906-8.
4. Fasal E, Jackson EW, Klauber MR. Leukemia and
lymphoma mortality and farm residence. Am J
Epidemiol 1968; 87: 267-74.
5. Burmeister LF. Cancer mortality in Iowa farmers,
1971-78. JNCI 1981; 3: 461-4.
6. Wiklund K. Swedish agricultural workers. A group
with a decreased risk of cancer. Cancer 1983; 51:
566-8.
7. Buesching DP, Wollstadt L. Letters to the editor.
Cancer mortality among farmers. JNCI 1984; 72:
503-4.
8. Gallagher RP, Threlfall WJ, Jeffries E, Band PR,
Spinelli J, Coldman AJ. Cancer and aplastic
anemia in British Columbia farmers. JNCI 1984;
72: 1311-5.
9. Delzell E, Grufferman S. Mortality among white
and nonwhite farmers in North Carolina,
1976-1978. Am J Epidemiol 1985; 121: 391-402.
10. Milham S. Leukemia and multiple myeloma in
farmers. Am J Epidemiol 1971; 94: 307-10.
11. Blair A, Thomas TL. Leukemia among Nebraska
farmers: A death certificate study. Am J Epidemiol
1979; 110: 264-73.
12. Blair A, White DW. Death certificate study of
leukemia among farmers from Wisconsin. JNCI
1981; 66: 1027-30.
13. Burmeister LF, Van Lier SF, Isacson P. Leukemia
and farm practices in Iowa. Am J Epidemiol 1982;
115: 720-8.
14. Burmeister LF, Everett GD, Van Lier SF, Isacson
P. Selected cancer mortality and farm practices in
Iowa. Am J Epidemiol 1983; 118: 72-7.
15. Schumacher MC. Farming occupations and
mortality from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Utah.
J Occup Med 1985; 27: 580-4.
16. Sterling TD, Weinkam JJ. Smoking characteristics
by type of employment. J Occup Med 1976; 18:
743-54.
17. Rafnsson V, Jóhannesdóttir SG. Mortality among
masons in Iceland. Br J Ind Med 1986; 43: 522-5.
18. Gunnarsdóttir H, Jóhannesdóttir SG, Rafnsson V.
Dánarmein bókagerðarmanna á íslandi.
Læknablaðið 1987; 73: 160-7.
19. Axelson O. Epidemiologi för arbets- och
miljömedicin. Studentlitteratur. Lund 1981.
20. Documenta Geigy. Scientific tables. 7th ed.
Ciba-Geigy. Basle 1971.
21. Wen CP, Tsai SP, Gibson RL. Anatomy of the
healthy worker effect: A critical review. J Occup
Med 1983; 25: 283-9.
22. Hernberg S. Epidemiology in occupational health.
Zenz C. ed: Developments in occupational
medicine. Year Book Medical Publisher: Chicago.
1980: 3-40.
23. Kitagwa EM, Hauser PM. Differential mortality in
the United States. Harvard University Press.
Cambridge, MA 1973.
24. Sauli H. The socio-economic aspects of
occupational mortality in Finland. Nordisk
företagshálsovárd 1979; 2: 72.
25. Andersen A, Dahlberg BE, Magnus K, Wannag A.
Risk of cancer in the Norwegian aluminium
industry. Int J Cancer 1982; 29: 295-8.