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© 1988 Oxford University Press
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Occupational Mortality in Hong Kong, 1979–1983
Occupational Health Division, Labour Department, 15 Floor, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong. Present address: Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine, National University of Singapore, Lower Kent Ridge, Singapore 0511.
Occupational mortality among Hong Kong males aged 15 and above were examined for the period 1979–1983, using routine death registration and census data. Age-standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and relative SMR (RSMR) were calculated for each two-digit occupational group and elevated mortality from all and various causes were highlighted. Mortality from ischaemic heart disease was strikingly associated with professional and sales-managerial occupations whereas coloreclal cancers were associated with predominantly clerical and sales workers. Mortality from cancer of the buccal cavity and pharynx was elevated in fishermen as well as in farmers, food, drink and tobacco workers, mechanical fitters, and others. Excesses of liver cancer were found in doctors, fishermen and construction workers. Lung cancer deaths were particularly excessive among fishermen, plumbers and welders, construction workers and transport equipment operators. Fishermen were at high risk of death from cancers of the buccal cavity and pharynx, stomach, liver and lung, cerebrovascular diseases and cirrhosis. Miners and quarrymen experienced high mortality from pulmonary tuberculosis and chronic obstructive airways disease whereas construction workers also experienced high mortality from pulmonary tuberculosis as well as cancers of the liver, lung and bladder and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Transport workers were at high risk of dying from cancers of the stomach and lung, cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. These and other associations were generally in line with those found from other similar surveys or detailed studies. The limitations of such studies are many and discussed in the context of Hong Kong. It Is believed that much valuable background information on occupation-disease association, hitherto unavailable, of a population emerging from three decades of rapid industrialization, is provided by such analyses and is useful in generating hypotheses for aetiblogical research or the monitoring of high-risk groups.
Revised 1 February 1987
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