The Long-Term Follow-Up of Radium Dial Painters and Thorium Workers

Archive description

The long-term follow-up of radium dial painters and thorium workers is investigated in this article. One study analyzed the data in a population of 1235 workers employed at plants before 1930, and found an excess of 68 deaths as against appropriate life-table values. Another study used a segregated cohort of 634 cases. In 1925, precautionary rules were introduced in most plants to prevent workers from oral contact with paint brushes. Overall, mortality ratios were lower in the groups first employed after 1924 (0.89) and in the group with calculated intake below 50 microcuries (0.86). Cause-specific mortality ratios were elevated at p