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An industry‐wide epidemiologic study of vinyl chloride workers, 1942–1982
Author(s) -
Wong Otto,
Whorton M. Donald,
Foliart Donna E.,
Ragland David
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.4700200305
Subject(s) - medicine , cohort , epidemiology , standardized mortality ratio , biliary tract cancer , cancer , cohort study , copd , angiosarcoma , liver cancer , occupational medicine , surgery , gemcitabine
The cohort consisted of 10,173 men who had worked for at least one year in jobs involving exposure to vinyl chloride prior to 1 January 1973. These men were employed at 37 plants in the U.S., belonging to 17 companies. Observation of the mortality experience of the cohort was updated from 31 December 1972 to 31 December 1982 (the study now covering 1942–1982). A total of 1,536 cohort members were identified as having died. The observed mortality, by cause, was compared with the expected based on U.S. mortality rates, standardized for age, race, and calendar time. Analyses by length of exposure, latency, age at first exposure, calendar year of first exposure, and type of products were performed. The study confirmed that the vinyl chloride workers experience a significant mortality excesses in angiosarcoma (15 deaths), cancer of the liver and biliary tract (SMR = 641), and cancer of the brain and other central nervous system (SMR = 180). In addition, the study also found a significant mortality excess in emphysema/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (SMR = 179). On the other hand, the study did not find any excess in either respiratory cancer or lymphatic and hematopoietic cancer. This study also found an increase in biliary tract cancers, independent from liver cancer.