Silicosis mortality among young adults in the United States, 1968–2004

BACKGROUND: To describe silicosis deaths in young (aged 15-44) adults in the U.S. during 1968-2004. METHODS: We analyzed the National Center for Health Statistics multiple cause-of-death records. RESULTS: Compared with silicosis decedents aged >or=45 years (n = 15,643), young decedents (n = 237) were more likely to have silicosis listed as the underlying cause of death (74.3% vs. 48.2%, P < 0.001), to be female (9.3% vs. 2.2%, P < 0.001) and black (37.1% vs. 11.7%, P < 0.001). Twenty-nine young silicosis decedents had industry and occupation information available. Occupations in construction and manufacturing industries were associated with significantly elevated proportionate mortality ratios for young silicosis deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Silicosis deaths occur among young adults. Because these deaths are likely to reflect more intense and recent exposures, the follow-back investigations into the work sites where these individuals were exposed to silica should be conducted.