Notes From the Field: Evaluation of a Perceived Cluster of Plasma Cell Dyscrasias Among Workers at a Natural Gas Company — Illinois, 2014

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
• Personal Author:
  de Perio, Marie A. ; Mehta, Jayesh
• Description:
  In 2014, CDC received a request from workers at a natural gas company in Illinois for a health hazard evaluation. The request concerned a perceived cluster of amyloidosis and multiple myeloma among workers. The company delivers natural gas to residential and business customers and employs approximately 1,300 persons. Employees are classified into three job groups: administrative, service, and distribution. Plasma cell dyscrasias, characterized by the monoclonal growth of plasma cells, include multiple myeloma, Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM), monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), and amyloidosis. Using a standard approach, CDC investigated this suspected cluster. Investigators obtained information from the company's two health insurance providers to identify current and former employees with these diagnoses from January 2008-January 2014 using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes. Diagnoses were confirmed by contacting health care providers or reviewing medical records. Demographic and work information was obtained from the company. Thirteen workers with confirmed plasma cell disorders were identified, including two active and 11 retired employees. Diagnoses included MGUS (five persons), myeloma (four), WM (three), and immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (one). All affected employees were men; eight were white, and five were black. This investigation highlights the difficulty of elucidating whether clusters of plasma cell dyscrasias result from chance or if they have a common occupational or environmental cause. This difficulty is partly a consequence of the lack of occupation and industry information in most disease registries, including cancer registries. By disseminating information about clusters such as this one, more accurate reporting of usual (or longest held) occupation and industry data in medical records can be encouraged, so that surveillance systems and registries can be used to stimulate research on occupational causes of cancer. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Antibodies Biochemistry Blood Demography Diagnosis Immune System Mining Neoplasms Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Oil And Gas Industry Public Health Safety

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• Keywords:
  Public health; Cancer; Cancer clusters; Blood cells; Cell proliferation; Cell function; Cellular reactions; Biochemical effects; Malignancy; Immunochemistry; Antibodies; Natural gas; Gas industry; Employee exposure; Clinical diagnosis; Men; Demographic characteristics; Cancer registries; Recording systems; Surveillance; Medical records; Information dissemination
• Source:
  MMWR 2017 Jun; 66(23):622--623
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• DOI:
  http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6623a5
• ISSN:
  0149-2195
• Pubmed ID:
  28617766
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC5657839
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; Ohio ; 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:
  2 pdf pages
• Volume:
  66
• Issue:
  23
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049920
• Contact Point Address:
  Marie A. de Perio, MD, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC, Cincinnati, OH
• Email:
  mdeperio@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7ddfe2df3eb62f495ad811a24c86593b987dc72a34bfb7e19ccca828d4cb912a4256f35f280cb8ba965417f86645bacae789fb22fd717c33896c984df6b5bddf
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/54522/cdc_54522_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 67.20 KB ]