title: Long-term health experience of jet engine manufacturing workers: IX. further investigation of general mortality patterns in relation to workplace exposures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate mortality rates among a cohort of jet engine manufacturing workers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were 222,123 workers employed from 1952 to 2001. Vital status was determined through 2004 for 99% of subjects and cause of death for 95% of 68,317 deaths. We computed standardized mortality ratios and modeled internal cohort rates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mortality excesses reported initially no longer met the criteria for further investigation. We found two chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-related mortality excesses that met the criteria in two of eight study plants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At the total cohort level, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-related categories were not related to any factors or occupational exposures considered. A full evaluation of these excesses was limited by lack of data on smoking history. Occupational exposures received outside of work or uncontrolled positive confounding by smoking cannot be ruled out as reasons for these excesses.
authors.affiliation: Center for Occupational Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Department of Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. ayouk@pitt.edu
authors.forename: Ada O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Youk
authors.forename: Gary M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Marsh
authors.forename: Jeanine M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Buchanich
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Downing
authors.forename: Kathleen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Nurtan A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Esmen
authors.forename: Roger P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Hancock
authors.forename: Steven E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Lacey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000401:Aircraft; D001249:Asthma / Q000401:mortality; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000401:mortality; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003237:Connecticut / Q000453:epidemiology; D004646:Emphysema / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000401:mortality*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult