Occupational disease in Connecticut, 2001.
OBJECTIVE
To quantify the magnitude and patterns of occupational disease in Connecticut.


METHODS
Collecting and standardizing data on occupational diseases from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey, workers' compensation reports, and physician reports for the 2001 calendar year, and using capture-recapture analysis to estimate unreported cases.


RESULTS
The rate of occupational illnesses dropped to 35.1 cases per 10,000 workers in 2001 (from 6,396 cases reported in 2000 to 5,514 in 2001). Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) accounted for more than half of the cases. There was a low proportion of cases that were reported to both workers compensation and the Department of Public Health, indicating widespread under-reporting of cases; it is estimated that there are actually over 30,000 cases of occupational disease each year.


CONCLUSIONS
Occupational disease is one of the highest incident conditions of any type of medical condition, and there is a high level of under-reporting.
Morse
Tim
T
Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030-6210, USA. tmorse@nso.uchc.edu
Grey
Michael
M
Storey
Eileen
E
Kenta-Bib
Emmanuel
E
D003237:Connecticut / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data