Coronary artery disease and cancer mortality in a cohort of workers exposed to vinyl chloride, carbon disulfide, rotating shift work, and o-toluidine at a chemical manufacturing plant.
BACKGROUND
We updated through 2007 the mortality experience of 1,874 workers employed at a New York State chemical manufacturing plant between 1946 and 2006.


METHODS
Reassessed exposures to vinyl chloride, carbon disulfide, and shift work and categories of o-toluidine exposure were based on year, department and job title. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) compared mortality to that of the US population. Internal comparisons used directly standardized rate ratios.


RESULTS
Hepatobiliary cancer mortality was elevated among workers ever exposed to vinyl chloride (SMR = 3.80, 95% confidence interval 1.89-6.80); directly standardized rates increased with increasing vinyl chloride exposure duration. No increase in non-Hodgkin lymphoma mortality was observed with vinyl chloride and shift work exposures. Internal comparisons showed increased coronary artery disease mortality among long-term workers exposed to carbon disulfide and shift work for 4 years or more.


CONCLUSIONS
Excess coronary artery disease mortality confirms earlier results; further investigation is needed to understand risk factors.
Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Tania
T
Carreón
Misty J
MJ
Hein
Kevin W
KW
Hanley
Susan M
SM
Viet
Avima M
AM
Ruder
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001661:Biliary Tract Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D002246:Carbon Disulfide / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002617:Chemical Industry; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014052:Toluidines / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014752:Vinyl Chloride / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance; D055815:Young Adult
D014052:Toluidines; C023622:2-toluidine; D002246:Carbon Disulfide; D014752:Vinyl Chloride
cancer; carbon disulfide; chemical manufacturing; cohort mortality; coronary artery disease; o-toluidine; shift work; vinyl chloride