ABSTRACT
A major objective of the epidemiology department of the Dow Chemical Company is to report at periodic intervals the cause-specific mortality experience of its employees. This study analyzed the cause-specific mortality experience of 4,229 male and female employees of the Louisiana Division who were employed for at least 1 year from 1956 through 1986. Regardless of the comparison population used to calculate expected numbers (United States, Louisiana, or the surrounding five parish area), fewer deaths were observed for all causes combined as well as for all malignant neoplasms, diseases of the circulatory system, and external causes of death.
Subject(s)
Chemical Industry , Mortality , Cohort Studies , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Louisiana/epidemiology , Male , Neoplasms/mortality , Population SurveillanceABSTRACT
Quality control must be an integral component of an occupational health surveillance program. The positive known association design offers the occupational health physician a method to test, on a population basis (ie, high periodic medical surveillance examination participation rates by the employees), the quality of periodic medical surveillance data. Several well-established biological associations were evaluated and observed in this study, including a dramatic relation between white blood cell counts and smoking. We highly recommend that the positive known association design be incorporated in the quality assurance procedures of occupational health surveillance programs.
Subject(s)
Multiphasic Screening , Occupational Diseases/prevention & control , Occupational Health Services , Quality Control , Adult , Erythrocyte Count , Female , Forced Expiratory Volume/physiology , Hematocrit , Hemoglobinometry , Humans , Male , Occupational Diseases/blood , Risk Factors , Smoking/adverse effects , Smoking/bloodSubject(s)
Chemical Industry , Occupational Diseases/mortality , Respiratory Tract Neoplasms/mortality , Actuarial Analysis , Adolescent , Adult , Arteriosclerosis/mortality , Humans , Leukemia/mortality , Louisiana , Male , Middle Aged , Occupational Diseases/epidemiology , Racial Groups , Respiratory Tract Neoplasms/epidemiology , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
A cross sectional study was conducted on 84 employees potentially exposed to ethylene oxide (EO) to determine whether they had a higher prevalence of abnormalities of the haematopoietic, hepatic, or renal systems than a control group individually matched on age, hire date, race, smoking habits, alcohol history, and date of examination. Potential exposures were estimated to be generally below the current threshold limit value of 10 ppm, with most below 1 ppm. Results of the haematological and biochemical studies were similar in the two groups. A statistically significant (p = 0.035) increase in the prevalence of proteinuria was noted among the EO group which warrants further investigation.
Subject(s)
Chemical Industry , Ethylene Oxide/adverse effects , Occupational Diseases/chemically induced , Blood Chemical Analysis , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury , Cross-Sectional Studies , Hematologic Diseases/chemically induced , Humans , Kidney Diseases/chemically induced , Male , Proteinuria/chemically induced , United StatesSubject(s)
Respiratory Tract Neoplasms/mortality , Epidemiologic Methods , Humans , Louisiana , Male , United StatesABSTRACT
Men employed in chlorinated solvents manufacture were followed for 1--4 yr and found to have mean hexachlorobenzene blood levels of 311 ppb in 1974 (n = 50), 312 ppb in 1975 (n = 49), 160 ppb in 1976 (n = 49), and 170 ppb in 1977 (n = 44). Evaluation of urinary porphyrins and several other laboratory test results did not reveal evidence of porphyria cutanea tarda or other adverse effect associated with exposure to hexachlorobenzene. The hexachlorobenzene blood levels were strongly associated with years worked in the chlorinated solvents plant but poorly correlated with environmental measurements.
