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Professional drivers in London: a mortality study
1Clinical Epidemiology and Public Health Research Unit, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
Insights
London
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Professional drivers face unique occupational exposures.
- Previous studies suggest varied health outcomes among different driver groups.
- Understanding driver-specific mortality risks is crucial for targeted health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate mortality patterns in professional London drivers.
- To compare risks between lorry drivers and taxi drivers.
- To identify specific causes of death associated with driving occupations.
Main Methods:
- Prospective mortality study design.
- Follow-up of 3392 professional drivers in London.
- Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) calculation for cause-specific mortality.
Main Results:
- Overall mortality was lower than expected (SMR 91).
- Lorry drivers exhibited increased risk for stomach cancer (SMR 141), lung cancer (SMR 159), and respiratory diseases (SMR 143).
- Taxi drivers showed non-significant trends for bladder cancer, leukemia, and lymphatic cancers.
Conclusions:
- Occupational driving, particularly for lorry drivers, is associated with specific cancer and respiratory disease risks.
- Taxi drivers may have distinct, though not statistically significant, elevated risks for certain hematological and urinary cancers.
- Findings highlight the need for occupation-specific health surveillance and prevention strategies for professional drivers.
Abstract:
A total of 3392 professional drivers in London were followed up in a prospective mortality study. There were significantly fewer deaths than expected from all causes (SMR 91, p less than 0.05), circulatory disease (SMR 75, p less than 0.05), and accidents (SMR 61, p less than 0.05). Lorry drivers showed excess deaths from stomach cancer (SMR 141, p less than 0.05), lung cancer (SMR 159, p less than 0.05), bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma (SMR 143, p less than 0.05), a pattern not evident among taxi drivers. Mortality from bladder cancers, leukaemia, and other lymphatic cancers were raised in taxi drivers, though the results did not achieve statistical significance. The importance of the findings is discussed.