title: Non-cancer mortality in workers in the meat and delicatessen departments of supermarkets (1950-2006).
abstract: We studied non-cancer mortality in 10,701 workers in the meat and delicatessen departments of supermarkets because they have increased exposure to a variety of microorganisms that infect and cause disease in food animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, and poultry, to which subjects in the general population are also exposed, albeit to a lesser degree. These workers were also exposed to fumes from the wrapping machine. Standardized mortality ratios were estimated in the cohort as a whole and in race/sex subgroups, using the US population for comparison. Study subjects were followed up from January 1950 to December 2006. Significantly increased deaths from diabetes, ischemic heart disease, pulmonary embolism, chronic bronchitis, peritonitis, intracranial and intraspinal abscess, other bacterial diseases, and significantly decreased deaths from diffuse diseases of connective tissue, functional diseases of the heart, intracerebral hemorrhage, occlusion/stenosis of the precerebral and cerebral arteries, and various types of accidents were observed in certain race/sex subgroups or in the cohort as a whole. The observed increased risks of several infectious conditions suggest that the increased occupational exposure to microorganisms may be responsible for at least some of the observed excess deaths, while exposure to fumes may also contribute to the excess of chronic bronchitis. The findings are important not only for supermarket workers and other workers in the meat and poultry industries, but also because the general population is exposed to these microorganisms found in food animals and their products. Nested case-control studies within cohorts that include both workers in supermarkets and other sectors of the meat and poultry industries, are now needed to examine specific risks from occupational exposures while adequately controlling for confounding factors, so that the role of these infectious agents in the occurrence of these diseases in workers and in general population subjects can be adequately assessed.
authors.affiliation: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Epidemiology, Little Rock, AR, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jadhav
authors.affiliation: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Epidemiology, Little Rock, AR, USA.
authors.forename: I P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Chedjieu
authors.affiliation: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Epidemiology, Little Rock, AR, USA.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Faramawi
authors.affiliation: Parker Research Institute, Parker University, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ndetan
authors.affiliation: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Epidemiology, Little Rock, AR, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fischbach
authors.affiliation: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Epidemiology, Little Rock, AR, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thapa
authors.affiliation: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Epidemiology, Little Rock, AR, USA. Electronic address: esjohnson@uams.edu.
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D040541:Marketing; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology / Q000592:standards; D008462:Meat-Packing Industry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Food animal; Meat cutter; Meat wrapper; Supermarket; Transmissible agent