Stomach cancer mortality in Worksop and other Nottinghamshire mining towns

Abstract

Mortality from stomach cancer was examined over the period 1958-75 on Workshop and 5 other nearby mining towns, and in 4 non-mining towns in Nottinghamshire. For each town, expected numbers of deaths at national rates were adjusted to allow for local/national differences in social-class distribution and number of miners, since mortality is known to be high nationally among miners and miners' wives, and to vary markedly with social class. After adjustment, the stomach-cancer Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMRs) for the aggregate of mining towns were 92 for men and 104 for women. For the non-mining towns equivalent SMRs were 91 and 86, and mortality was markedly low at ages under 65 for both sexes. Mortality in Workshop was not significantly raised, and appeared similar to that elsewhere in the mining towns. This result does not support the earlier finding by others that stomach-cancer mortality in the town was significantly raised, nor the accompanying suggestion of an association with the high nitrate content of the local drinking water via the action of nitrosamines.