Mortality among children residing near the American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) copper smelter in Ruston, Washington.

A retrospective cohort study was undertaken to determine whether childhood exposure to ambient arsenic was associated with increased mortality rates. Cohort members comprised children who had lived within 4.0 km (2.5 mi) of the American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) copper smelter and arsenic refinery in Ruston, Washington, for at least 2 yr during the time period from 1907 to 1932. The cohort included 1,827 boys and 1,305 girls identified from school census records. Exposure intensity was computed as the total number of years a child had lived at a residence less than 1.6 km (1.0 mi) from the smelter stack during the study period. In only one exposure intensity group (i.e., residence > or = 10.0 yr less than 1.6 km [1.0 mi] from the smelter) for boys were Cox proportional hazards ratios significantly higher than 1.00: for all causes of death (1.52), ischemic heart disease (1.77), and external causes (1.93). For girls, hazard ratios were not elevated significantly for any cause of death in any exposure intensity group.

VIVO