Mortality from nasopharyngeal carcinoma and occupation in men in Hong Kong from 1976-81.

A study of deaths from Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) among males in Hong Kong from the years 1976 to 1981 was conducted. Variations in NPC mortality among different occupational groups were investigated. The average death rate from NPC among males was 14 per 100,000 in the past ten years which is among the highest in the world. Comparisons using age specific mortality rates and direct age standardized mortality rates between occupational groups revealed increasingly high mortality in agricultural and fishery occupations (p less than 0.01), and being lowest among administrative occupations (p less than 0.05). The ten highest proportional mortality ratios for occupations were calculated and showed significantly high ratios among fishermen, plumbers, welders and fitters. The paper reviewed and discussed the possible reasons for these findings.