Cause-specific mortality among Michigan employees of a chemical company: 1940 to 1994.

We observed 42,076 men and 11,706 women first employed at the Michigan locations of The Dow Chemical Company between 1940 and 1994. Follow-up was 98% complete, and we identified 16,242 deaths. Significant deficits in standardized mortality ratios were observed for all causes, all malignant neoplasms, and more than a dozen other causes of death when compared with rates in the United States. We observed significant elevations for several causes of death among employees of a magnesium foundry. There is little modern exposure information, because the foundry was sold nearly 40 years ago. This routine surveillance activity provided a generally favorable overview of the health experience of our employees and did not suggest a need for an additional focused study.