Helsinki (20.02.2003 - Juhani Artto) According to the most commonly quoted statistics, no more than about 200 people die of occupational diseases, workplace accidents and work-related traffic accidents annually in Finland. This figure, however, is a poor reflection of the total risk posed by workplaces. This is the conclusion of an epidemiological study* published in June 2001. For some reason the study has not received the attention it deserves in Finland.
Calculations based on a large body of statistical data yield an estimate of 1,800 work-related deaths per year. "The estimate indicates that work-related factors play a bigger role than has been commonly assumed," notes the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in its press release. The study was the first of its kind in Finland, and was based on statistical materials dating from 1996.
The figure means that 3.7 per cent of all fatalities involved work-related causes. Among men the rate was 6 per cent, and among women 1 per cent.
The highest attributable fraction (12 per cent) was found in deaths in which the main causes of death were diseases of the circulatory system. This was followed by malignant neoplasms (8 per cent), respiratory diseases (4 per cent), mental diseases (4 per cent) and diseases of the nervous system (3 per cent). The attributable factor was 3 per cent in the category of accidents and violence.
The work-related attributable factor in deaths from lung cancer was 24 per cent, in deaths from ischemic heart disease 17 per cent, in deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 12 per cent and in fatal strokes 11 per cent. Half of those who died of lung cancer had been exposed to asbestos dust.
Nurminen M, Karjalainen A: Epidemiologic estimate of the proportion of fatalities related to occupational factors in Finland