Cancer mortality in workers employed in cattle, pigs, and sheep slaughtering and processing plants

Details

• Personal Author:
  Johnson ES ; Johnson ES
• Description:
  Objectives: We studied mortality in two separate cohorts of workers in abattoirs (N=4996) and meat processing plants (N=3642) belonging to a meatcutters' union, because they were exposed to viruses that cause cancer in food animals, and also to chemical carcinogens at work. Methods: Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) were estimated for each cohort as a whole and in subgroups defined by race and sex, using the US general population mortality rates for comparison. Study subjects were followed up from January 1950 to December 2006, during which time over 60% of them died. Results: An excess of deaths from cancers of the base of the tongue, esophagus, lung, skin, bone and bladder, lymphoid leukemia, and benign tumors of the thyroid and other endocrine glands, and possibly Hodgkin's disease, was observed in abattoir and meat processing workers. Significantly lower SMRs were recorded for cancer of the thymus, mediastinum, pleura, etc., breast cancer, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Conclusion: This study confirms the excess occurrence of cancer in workers in abattoirs and meat processing plants, butchers, and meatcutters, previously reported in this cohort and other similar cohorts worldwide. Large nested case-control studies are now needed to examine which specific occupational and nonoccupational exposures are responsible for the excess. There is now sufficient evidence for steps to be taken to protect workers from carcinogenic exposures at the workplace. There are also serious implications for the general population which may also be exposed to some of these viruses. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Animals Environmental Exposure Environmental Monitoring Food-Processing Industry Food Handling Food Industry Hypersensitivity Mortality Neoplasms Occupational Health Public Health Safety Viral Diseases Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Animal-products Animal-products-workers Author Keywords: Oncogenic Viruses Beef Cancer-rates Chemical-hypersensitivity Environmental-exposure Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Food-handlers Food-processing Food-processing-industry Food-processing-workers Humans Live Animal Meat Meat-handlers Meat-packing-industry Meatpacking Mortality-data Mortality-rates Mutton Pork Public-health Slaughter Viral-diseases Viral-infections Work-environment Work-operations Work-performance Worker-health Workplace-studies

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• ISSN:
  0160-4120
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article ; Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• Volume:
  37
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20039049
• Citation:
  Environ Int 2011 Jul; 37(5):950-959
• Contact Point Address:
  Eric Johnson, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd. Fort Worth, TX 76107
• Email:
  Eric.Johnson@UNTHSC.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Texas, Health Science Center
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20070901
• Source Full Name:
  Environment International
• End Date:
  20100831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4d18f159897a2195207baf9233c34ef8012305e40b7e5ccd8bc36bc3b914300cfa60086f7d671b6ec0cf83a6618a7c69f21a5f7825e55677127cffb793f48dcc
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/192540/cdc_192540_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 229.14 KB ]