Historical Cohort Study of U.S. Man-Made Vitreous Fiber Production Workers IX: Summary of 1992 Mortality Follow Up and Analysis of Respiratory System Cancer Among Female Workers

• Published in: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine Vol. 46; no. 1; pp. 55 - 67
• Main Authors: Stone, Roslyn A., Youk, Ada O., Marsh, Gary M., Buchanich, Jeanine M., Smith, Thomas J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01-01-2004; The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer; Cause of Death; Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases; Cohort Studies; Female; Female employees; Fiberglass; Follow-Up Studies; Glass; Health risk assessment; Humans; Inorganic dusts (pneumoconiosises) and organic dusts (byssinosis etc.); Lung Diseases - epidemiology; Lung Diseases - etiology; Lung Diseases - mortality; man-made vitreous fibers; Manufacturing; Medical sciences; Mortality; Occupational Diseases - epidemiology; Occupational Diseases - etiology; Occupational Diseases - mortality; ORIGINAL ARTICLES; Respiratory Tract Neoplasms - epidemiology; Respiratory Tract Neoplasms - etiology; Respiratory Tract Neoplasms - mortality; silica; Survival Analysis; Time Factors; Toxicology; United States - epidemiology; urea; United States; North America; America; USA; Human; Artificial fiber; Toxicity; Cohort study; Mortality; Female; Malignant tumor; Occupational exposure; Respiratory system; Epidemiology; Occupational medicine
• ISSN: 1076-2752; 1536-5948
• DOI: 10.1097/01.jom.0000105905.60844.e1

We report the 1946-1992 mortality experience of 4008 females employed in any of 10 U.S. fiberglass manufacturing plants between 1945 and 1978 relative to external population rates. We also examine respiratory system cancer (RSC) mortality as a function of estimated exposure to respirablefibers(RFib), formaldehyde (FOR), silica, phenolics, urea, and other agents based on internal cohort comparisons. No statistically significantly elevated standardized mortality ratios were observed for all-cause mortality (930 deaths), any of the 25 nonmalignant causes considered, all malignant neoplasms (266 deaths), or any of the 27 malignant causes considered. Internal cohort comparisons revealed no significant positive associations between RSC mortality (53 cases) and exposure to RFib, FOR, or any of the other agents considered, although exposure levels were generally low. Some demographic subgroups appear to be at relatively increased risk of RSC.