Mortality among 24,865 workers exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in three electrical capacitor manufacturing plants: a ten-year update

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hein, Misty J. ; Hopf NB ; Ruder, Avima M. ; Waters MA
• Description:
  The objective of this analysis was to evaluate mortality among a cohort of 24,865 capacitor-manufacturing workers exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at plants in Indiana, Massachusetts, and New Yorkand followed for mortality through 2008. Cumulative PCB exposure was estimated using plant-specific-job-exposure matrices. External comparisons to US and state-specific populations used standardized mortality ratios, adjusted for gender, race, age and calendar year. Among long-term workers employed 3 months or longer, within-cohort comparisons used standardized rate ratios and multivariable Poisson regression modeling. Through 2008, more than one million person-years at risk and 8749 deaths were accrued. Among long-term employees, all-cause and all-cancer mortality were not elevated; of the a priori outcomes assessed only melanoma mortality was elevated. Mortality was elevated for some outcomes of a priori interest among subgroups of long-term workers: all cancer, intestinal cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (women); melanoma (men); melanoma and brain and nervous system cancer (Indiana plant); and melanoma and multiple myeloma (New York plant). Standardized rates of stomach and uterine cancer and multiple myeloma mortality increased with estimated cumulative PCB exposure. Poisson regression modeling showed significant associations with estimated cumulative PCB exposure for prostate and stomach cancer mortality. For other outcomes of a priori interest - rectal, liver, ovarian, breast, and thyroid cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Alzheimer disease, and Parkinson disease - neither elevated mortality nor positive associations with PCB exposure were observed. Associations between estimated cumulative PCB exposure and stomach, uterine, and prostate cancer and myelomamortality confirmed our previous positive findings. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Chemistry Electricity Men Morbidity Mortality Neoplasms Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Women Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Age-groups Analytical-processes Author Keywords: Polychlorinated Biphenyls Cancer Chemical-properties Cohort Study Electrical-industry Electrical-workers Exposure-levels Exposure Assessment Humans Models Morbidity-rates Mortality-rates Occupational Exposure Risk-factors Sociological-factors Work-environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  1438-4639
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• 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 ; DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  176-187
• Volume:
  217
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20042707
• Citation:
  Int J Hyg Environ Health 2014 Mar; 217(2-3):176-187
• Contact Point Address:
  Avima M. Ruder, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,Mailstop R-16, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  aruder@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  1,1′-Biphenyl, chloro derivs. (CAS RN 1336-36-3)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d559a3e817e0fea4e3746f926f7154fe6dee1fb2cb8e69cb2d3c2a8e526ccc8db35880ced80cf27ccca1557a7aea61fbd9d923f58cdef003edb1ca1fe9327af0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/194845/cdc_194845_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 930.76 KB ]