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Mortality patterns among workers in a US pharmaceutical production plant
Gary M Marsh1, Ada O Youk, Nurtan A Esmen
1Department of Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. gmarsh@pitt.edu
Annals of Epidemiology
|January 18, 2005
Summary
This study found no evidence that pharmaceutical plant work caused increased cancer deaths. Local cancer rate increases were due to natural trends, not occupational exposures.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Epidemiology
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Pharmaceutical production plants can raise concerns about worker health and local environmental impact.
- Community concerns arose regarding increased cancer mortality rates in a local county between 1980 and 1990.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate mortality patterns among workers at a pharmaceutical production facility.
- To determine if occupational exposures contributed to local cancer mortality rate increases.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 1999 pharmaceutical workers with employment between 1970-1996 was studied.
- Deaths were tracked through 2000, and exposures to nine chemical agents were reconstructed.
- Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and local cancer mortality time trends were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Overall mortality was lower than expected. Excess deaths in lymphatic-hematopoietic tissue cancers (LHTC) and respiratory system cancers (RSC) were observed in some male workers but likely unrelated to plant factors.
- Local cancer mortality rates showed a cyclical increase peaking in 1990, returning to 1980 levels by 2000, consistent with periodic trends.
Conclusions:
- The study found no significant evidence of elevated mortality risks for the cohort, with possible minor exceptions for LHTC/NHL and RSC.
- Plant operations did not appear to be a factor in the observed 1980-1990 local cancer mortality rate increases.