Mortality of workers exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls - an update.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brown, David P.
• Description:
  A study of mortality in workers exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls was conducted. This was a followup to an earlier study of 2567 workers employed in two facilities where PCBs were used to manufacture electrical capacitors (SIC-3629). The facilities were located in New York state and Massachusetts. Sequential exposures included Aroclor-1254 (11097691), Aroclor-1242 (53469219), and Aroclor-1016 (12674112). Results of the initial study were considered inconclusive due to the small number of total deaths, 163, and the relatively short period of observation, which ended January 1, 1976. In an updated study, the period of observation was extended through December 31, 1982, and the cohort contained 2588 workers, 1318 females. Followup identified 132 additional deaths and added 16527 person years to that of the original study. Total mortality and mortality from major causes were lower than expected, except for diseases of the circulatory system which were slightly elevated. Deaths from cancer of the liver, gall bladder, and biliary tract, however, were significantly elevated, with a standardized mortality ratio of 280. Most of these occurred in females employed at the Massachusetts facility. When stratified by length of employment and latency, no apparent pattern of increasing risk with increasing length of employment was seen. The author concludes that the study provides limited information indicating that occupational exposure to PCBs may be associated with an increased risk of death from cancer of the liver, gall bladder, and biliary tract. Limitations are due to misclassifications, deaths from cancer types that are different from those observed in animal studies, and lack of a consistent dose response pattern (length of employment and latency). [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Epidemiology Liver Mortality Neoplasms Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Polychlorinated Biphenyls Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Sex Characteristics

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• Keywords:
  Electrical-equipment Liver-cancer Malignant-neoplasms Mortality-rates NIOSH-Author Occupational-exposure Polychlorinated-biphenyls Risk-factors Sex-factors
• ISSN:
  0003-9896
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; New York ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  333-339
• Volume:
  42
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00178776
• Citation:
  Arch Environ Health 1987 Nov; 42(6):333-339
• CAS Registry Number:
  Aroclor 1016 (CAS RN 12674-11-2) ; Aroclor 1242 (CAS RN 53469-21-9) ; PCB-1254 (CAS RN 11097-69-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1988
• NORA Priority Area:
  Work Environment and Workforce: Special Populations
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3629 - Electrical industrial apparatus, not elsewhere classified - (SIC)
• Source Full Name:
  Archives of Environmental Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:33f228e13526671d458cc9e53d00bcd8974a054db17d6db17066eed511e43db70cfc3063eb2df97a15f1cf2375d50ea3492f7bf1d745226fa4607abada5d4c33
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/185497/cdc_185497_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 734.09 KB ]