Professional drivers in London: a mortality study.

A total of 3392 professional drivers in London were followed up in a prospective mortality study. There were significantly fewer deaths than expected from all causes (SMR 91, p less than 0.05), circulatory disease (SMR 75, p less than 0.05), and accidents (SMR 61, p less than 0.05). Lorry drivers showed excess deaths from stomach cancer (SMR 141, p less than 0.05), lung cancer (SMR 159, p less than 0.05), bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma (SMR 143, p less than 0.05), a pattern not evident among taxi drivers. Mortality from bladder cancers, leukaemia, and other lymphatic cancers were raised in taxi drivers, though the results did not achieve statistical significance. The importance of the findings is discussed.