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Sugarcane workers: morbidity and mortality
F D Miller1, D M Reed, J Banta
1Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Hawaii, Honolulu 96822.
Hawaii Medical Journal
|November 1, 1993
Summary
Working on Hawaiian sugarcane plantations did not increase mortality or the incidence of chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, or cancer in Japanese-ancestry men. This study found no significant health hazards associated with sugarcane employment.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Epidemiology
- Agricultural Science
Background:
- Sugarcane is a major industry in Hawaii, but concerns exist regarding potential health hazards for plantation workers.
- Previous reports suggested possible health risks associated with sugarcane cultivation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between sugarcane plantation employment and health outcomes in Hawaii.
- To examine the association of sugarcane work with total mortality, coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, cancer, and risk factors.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of men of Japanese ancestry from the Honolulu Heart Program was studied.
- Follow-up over 18 years examined mortality, disease incidence (CHD, stroke, cancer, lung cancer), and risk factors.
- Lung function (FEV1) and mesothelioma incidence were also assessed.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in age-adjusted mortality or incidence of CHD, stroke, cancer, or lung cancer were found between sugarcane workers and non-workers.
- No differences in measured risk factors or lung function (FEV1) were observed.
- No cases of mesothelioma were reported in exposed individuals, and findings were robust after adjusting for confounders.
Conclusions:
- Employment on Hawaiian sugarcane plantations is not associated with elevated rates of chronic diseases.
- The study refutes concerns about significant health hazards linked to sugarcane industry employment.
- Findings were not influenced by "healthy worker bias".