Sugarcane workers: morbidity and mortality

Sugarcane is, after pineapple, the largest agricultural industry in Hawaii. There have been reports that this industry poses certain health hazards. To investigate this possible hazard in Hawaii, the relationship of employment on a sugarcane plantation to total mortality, the development of definite coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, cancer, lung cancer and certain risk factors were examined in men of Japanese ancestry participating in the Honolulu Heart Program. After 18 years of follow-up, those men who indicated one or more years working on sugarcane plantations had no significant difference in age-adjusted mortality, nor incidence of CHD, stroke, cancer, or lung cancer. There were no differences in risk factors compared to participants who were never employed on sugarcane plantations, nor were there differences in lung function as measured by FEV1. These findings were unchanged after adjusting for several potential confounding variables. No cases of mesothelioma were observed among those with a history of defined exposure. These findings were not due to a "healthy worker bias" and indicate that employment on a sugarcane plantation in Hawaii is not associated with elevated rates of chronic diseases.