Mortality from a Chinese asbestos plant: overall cancer mortality.

The cancer mortality in a Chinese asbestos plant using only chrysotile was studied. Opened in the 1950s, all workers with at least 1 year of employment by 1972 were followed through 1994. Most workers were female. Excess cancer mortality, compared to local city data, was found for lung cancer, including many cases among nonsmoking women, and stomach cancer. Plant asbestos levels have been high in the past but have consistently come down over the decades.