General mortality from 1944 through 1994 for a silicon-based chemical company

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Epidemiology
• Industrial Hygiene

Background:

• Dow Corning Corporation, a silicon-based materials manufacturer, has had previous studies indicating elevated lung cancer risk.
• Employee health surveillance is crucial in industrial settings with potential workplace exposures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reevaluate the statistically significant elevated risk of lung cancer among men with prolonged employment (>or=20 years) at Dow Corning.
• To assess updated mortality data and identify any changes in lung cancer risk trends.

Main Methods:

• Cohort mortality study of 8266 employees hired between 1943 and 1992, with follow-up through 1994.
• Calculation of Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMRs) for 63 causes of death.
• Analysis stratified by employment duration and time since first employment, with a specific focus on pre- and post-1985 periods.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant increase in lung cancer mortality was confirmed for men employed prior to 1985 with over 30 years of work duration and over 30 years since first employed.
• Lung cancer SMRs after 1985 were not statistically significant and showed inconsistency across different work duration and time since first employed intervals.
• The updated mortality experience provides no evidence of elevated lung cancer mortality among Dow Corning workers since the 1991 cohort mortality study.

Conclusions:

• The study indicates that while historical employment at Dow Corning showed elevated lung cancer risk for specific long-term male employees before 1985, this risk is not evident in more recent data.
• The findings support the effectiveness of ongoing employee health surveillance programs in industrial environments.
• This updated mortality experience contributes to understanding long-term health outcomes in the silicon-based manufacturing industry.