OBJECTIVE: to explore mortality of French professional male firefighters. METHODS: standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated for 10,829 professional male firefighters employed in 1979 and compared with the French male population between 1979-2008. Firefighters were identified from 89 French administrative departments (93% of population). RESULTS: one thousand six hundred forty two deaths were identified, representing significantly lower all-cause mortality than in the general population (SMR = 0.81; 95%CI: 0.77-0.85). SMR increased with age and was not different from 1 for firefighters >70 years. No significant excess of mortality was observed for any specific cause, but a greater number of deaths than expected were found for various digestive neoplasms (rectum/anus, pancreas, buccal-pharynx, stomach, liver, and larynx). CONCLUSION: we observed lower all and leading-cause mortality likely due to the healthy worker effect in this cohort, with diseases of the respiratory system considerably lower (SMR = 0.57). Non-significant excesses for digestive neoplasms are notable, but should not be over-interpreted at this stage.
Auteur : Amadeo B, Marchand JL, Moisan F, Donnadieu S, Coureau G, Mathoulin Pelissier S, Lembeye C, Imbernon E, Brochard P
American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2015, vol. 58, n°. 4, p. 437-43
