Mortality Patterns Among the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, 1982–87

Details

• Personal Author:
  Palu S ; Petersen, Martin R. ; Robinson CF ; Sestito, John P.
• Description:
  This study evaluated the mortality of 31,068 members of the U.S. Electrical Workers' Union who died 1982-1987. Age-adjusted proportionate mortality ratios (PMRs) and proportionate cancer mortality ratios (PCMRs) were computed using the U.S. age-, gender-, and race-specific proportional mortality for the years of the study. For white male electrical workers, significantly raised mortality was observed for lung cancer (PMR=117), mesothelioma (PMR=357), melanoma skin cancer (PMR=124), leukemia (PMR=115, benign tumors (PMR=234), asbestosis (PMR=248), electrocutions (PMR=1145), and all fatal injuries (PMR=116). When PCMR analysis was used, the risks for these cancers remained elevated. Among 114 women electrical workers, mortality due to leukemia (PMR=195) and breast cancer (PMR=124) was elevated, but not significantly. More than 82% of all electrical workers studied had greater than 30 years membership in the union and worked in the construction industry. The study confirms that electrical workers have elevated proportionate mortality for asbestos related disease (lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma) and from traumatic injuries, particularly electrocutions. Elevated mortality from leukemia and melanoma skin cancer may be related to electrical work and suggests further evaluation of possible risk factors is needed. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Movements Dust Laboratories Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Age-factors Cancer Construction-industry Construction-workers Demographic-characteristics Electrical-hazards Electrical-industry Electrical-workers Electrocutions Lung-cancer Mortality-data Mortality-rates Mortality-surveys Occupational-hazards Pulmonary-system-disorders Racial-factors Respiratory-system-disorders Risk-analysis Risk-factors Sex-factors Skin-cancer Traumatic-injuries

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• ISSN:
  0002-9262
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies ; OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  145
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20034013
• Citation:
  Am J Epidemiol 1997 Jun; 145(11)(Suppl):S41
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1997
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Epidemiology
• Supplement:
  Suppl
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:878b380039403cd8ba83fbd6aa19fe0d7fcf906b8dc3f1b250ecf758cd6499168979828b7a20256fa001081a5c6b6775f235d8ee0c1dff7df3ad3e7a329dec5c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/189402/cdc_189402_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 280.70 KB ]