title: Cause-specific mortality among Kelly Air Force Base civilian employees, 1981-2001.
abstract: In response to concerns about occupational and environmental exposures, and a perceived cluster of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the community, the mortality experience among 31,811 civilian employees who worked for at least 1 year between 1981 and 2000 at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas was ascertained. A total of 3264 deaths occurred through October 31, 2001. Overall, significant deficits in mortality were observed for all causes of death and all cancers combined. An excess of breast cancer [standardized mortality ratio (SMR) = 216; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 128-341] among blue-collar women was identified, and remained elevated after adjusting for race and ethnicity [rate ratio (RR) = 2.83; 95% CI = 1.50-5.34]. Mortality from motor neuron disease, which includes ALS deaths, was not increased overall (SMR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.52-1.68), and was lower among blue-collar employees and higher among white-collar employees than expected, based on small numbers. Overall, mortality patterns indicated a healthy worker population and no large increased mortality associated with employment at Kelly Air Force Base.
authors.affiliation: Applied Epidemiology, Inc, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Diane J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Mundt
authors.forename: Linda D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Dell
authors.forename: Rose S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Luippold
authors.forename: Sandra I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Sulsky
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Skillings
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: Kenneth L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Mundt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000401:mortality; D001359:Aviation; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances