bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Multiple myeloma and engine exhausts, fresh wood, and creosote: A case‐referent study
Authors: Flodin Ulf , Fredriksson Mats , Persson Bodil 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe effect of potential risk factors for multiple myeloma was evaluated in a case‐referent study encompassing 131 cases and 431 randomized referents, all alive. Information on exposure was obtained with questionnaires mailed to the subjects. An analysis of the material by means of the Miettinen confounder score technique resulted in a few rate ratios significantly exceeding unity—namely, occupational exposure to engine exhausts, creosote, and fresh wood. In view of other studies that suggest ionizing radiation as a risk factor, it was somewhat surprising that low‐level gamma radiation from background exposure was less common among the cases than the referents.
4,4′‐methylenebis (2‐chloroaniline): An unregulated carcinogen
Authors: Ward Elizabeth , Smith Alexander Blair , Halperin William 
Published: April 2007

Abstract4,4′‐Methylenebis (2‐chloroaniline) (MBOCA) is a confirmed animal carcinogen. It is used commercially as a curing agent for polymers containing isocyanate. There are no adequate studies documenting a carcinogenic risk for MBOCA in humans; however, studies in rats and dogs have shown that MBOCA is a carcinogen. Also, MBOCA is structurally similar to aromatic amines, which cause bladder cancer in workers with occupational exposure. Manufacture of MBOCA in the United States ceased in 1979. However, estimates of the number of workers potentially exposed range from 1,400 to 33,000 in the manufacture of MBOCA‐cured products. Presently, there are no federal regulations limiting occupational exposure to MBOCA. An occupational standard for MBOCA proposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was remanded by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals on procedural grounds in 1974. NIOSH recommended in 1978 that MBOCA be treated as a potential human carcinogen and that worker exposure be controlled so that it does not exceed 3 μg/m3 of air determined as a time‐weighted average concentration for up to a 10‐hour workshift (the lowest level that can be reliably measured). In this paper, we will review the literature in regard to MBOCA's carcinogenicity, describe industrial use and extent of worker exposure, and review MBOCA's status in relation to occupational regulations in the United States and abroad.
Mortality among female employees of a chemical company
Authors: Bond Gregory G. , McLaren Elsie A. , Cartmill Janice B. , Wymer Karen T. , Lipps Thomas E. , Cook Ralph R. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThere have been few mortality studies conducted on working women despite their increasing presence in the work environment. This paper presents the findings of a cohort mortality study of 10,839 female employees with three or more days of service between 1940 and 1982 at the Midland or Bay City, Michigan, locations of the Dow Chemical Company. The cohort included substantial numbers of production and research personnel but was primarily comprised of clerical and office workers. Vital status was ascertained through 1982 for 89.4 percent of the cohort members, and death certificates were obtained for 94.0 percent of the 467 decedents. Comparisons of observed mortality with expected levels based on mortality rates for the U.S., Michigan, and a local 7‐county area revealed consistently lower mortality in the cohort from the major causes of death, indicating a strong “healthy worker effect.” Mortality from cancer of the cervix was significantly below expected levels, especially among women who were hired before 25 years of age. This observation, when combined with a nonsignificant excess of breast cancer, suggests a different distribution of maritally and sexually related risk factors between working and general populations of women. This and other findings are discussed relative to methodologic problems likely to accompany studies of working women.
Cause‐specific mortality among Rhode Island Jewelry workers
Authors: Dubrow Robert , Gute David M. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractCause‐specific mortality patterns among Rhode Island jewelry manufacturing workers, as identified on death certificates from 1968 to 1978, were examined using the proportionate mortality ratio (PMR) method. Among males, elevated PMRs were observed for nonmalignant kidney disease (PMR = 163; Observed deaths [Obs] = 19; p ± .05), liver cancer (PMR = 297; Obs = 6; p ± .05), drug dependence (PMR = 379; Obs = 5; p ± .05), and accidental poisonings (PMR = 274; Obs = 8; p ± .05). All but one of the deaths from accidental poisonings involved drugs or drugs and alcohol. Among females, elevated PMRs were observed for stomach cancer (PMR = 174; Obs = 20; p ± .01), peptic ulcer (PMR = 235; Obs = 8; p ± .05), diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (PMR = 383; Obs = 5; p ± .05), and drug dependence (PMR = 674; Obs = 3; p ± .05). Exposure to known renal toxins (heavy metals and solvents) used in the jewelry industry may account for the excess deaths from kidney disease. The elevated PMR for liver cancer may be due to exposure to solvents (trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride) that cause liver cancer in animals. The elevated PMRs for drug dependence and accidental poisonings may be due to the socioeconomic status of jewelry workers, or to the interaction between solvents used in jewelry manufacturing and drugs, or drugs and alcohol. Because of the lack of information about the specific occupational exposures of the decedents, this should be viewed as an exploratory investigation requiring further follow‐up.
A primary study of the number and type of microorganisms in a thai textile factory
Authors: Rochanachin Monthatip , Ardsmiti Nat 
Published: April 2007

AbstractPersonal air samples of different sections inside and outside the factory were collected from July to November of 1981. The number of airborne microorganisms were as follows: blowing section, 337.8; carding section, 247.4; drawing section, 107.8; spinning section, 20.4, and outside the factory, 20.2. The types of bacteria found were classified into three groups: cocci‐Gram positive, rod‐Gram positive; and rod‐Gram negative. The type of fungi were Penicilium sp., Rhizopus sp., Aspergillus sp., and Mucor sp.
Smoking and degree of occupational exposure: Are internal analyses in cohort studies likely to be confounded by smoking status?
Authors: Siemiatycki J. , Wacholder S. , Dewar R. , Wald L. , Bégin D. , Richardson L. , Rosenman K. , Gérin M. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractOccupational cohort studies are usually carried out without the benefit of information on smoking habits of cohort members. One common approach to avoid confounding bias related to smoking habits is to carry out an internal analysis, comparing workers with different degrees of occupational exposure. The premise behind this approach is that within a cohort there is unlikely to be correlation between degree of exposure and smoking habits. If this were untrue, smoking could confound the disease‐exposure relationships. Our purpose was to verify the premise. The study sample consisted of 857 French‐Canadian men born between 1910 and 1930, with 11 or fewer years of education, and interviewed around 1980 in the context of an occupational cancer case‐control study. For each man we had information on smoking habits, job history, and a history of the chemicals he was exposed to in each of his jobs. We computed two indices of the dirtiness of workers' job histories: one based on the job titles held by the man and a second based on the degree of exposures to workplace substances. There was no correlation between these indices of job dirtiness and smoking history. We also examined the smoking‐exposure relationship among the subsets of men who had been occupationally exposed to ten especially noticeable substances. Within the subsets, there was no indication of a consistent difference among the smoking subgroups in level or duration of exposure to these index substances. These findings do not support the view that nonsmokers sought out cleaner job environments than smokers; they imply that internal analyses of “dose‐response” in cohort studies are unlikely to be seriously confounded by smoking habits.
Indirect methods of assessing the effects of tobacco use in occupational studies
Authors: Axelson Olav , Steenland Kyle 
Published: April 2007

AbstractFor various reasons, data on smoking are frequently missing, or only partially available, in retrospective epidemiologic studies of occupational risk factors. In such situations, indirect methods may be used to evaluate the magnitude and direction of the potentially confounding effects of smoking. Such an evaluation can be made quantitatively or qualitatively. Here we describe both approaches. A specific problem relates to case‐referent studies, where sampling variation in referent selection may limit the possibility of controlling for confounding by smoking, even when smoking data are available. We present data showing that estimates of risk from occupational exposures which are not controlled for smoking may be as accurate as estimates derived after controlling for smoking, when the number of referents is relatively small. The problem of interaction is also discussed. In the absence of smoking data, the investigator has no indication of how smoking and occupation jointly affect disease risk (eg, additively or multiplicatively). The multiplicative model is usually assumed. However, if exposure and smoking act independently (additively), rate ratios are diminished. In such situations, in the presence of negative confounding by smoking, rate ratios may actually even be less than one—also when exposure and disease are strongly related.
Indirect corrections for confounding under multiplicative and additive risk models
Authors: Gail M. H. , Wacholder S. , Lubin J. H. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractWe define a multiplicative model and an additive model for the hazards associated jointly with exposure and with the presence of a confounder like smoking. Under the multiplicative model, the crude relative risk may be adjusted indirectly, by means of a factor proposed by Axelson [1978], and implicitly by Cornfield et al. [1959] and Schlesselman [1978]. We present corresponding indirect correction formulas under the additive risk model for the risk difference and for the excess relative risk. Conditions are established under which these corrections may be applied to age‐adjusted rates from composite study populations. We demonstrate that indirect corrections may be no better than crude measures of risk if one assumes the wrong model for the joint action of the exposure and confounding factors. These results are illustrated on an example of occupational exposure to vermiculite. The limitations of the techniques are discussed.
Relative risk models for assessing the joint effects of multiple factors
Authors: Lubin Jay H. , Gaffey William 
Published: April 2007

AbstractA goal of analyses of occupational cohort data is the specification of how covariate information relates to age‐specific disease risks. In describing this relationship, certain assumptions or models must be defined. For example, the usual standardized mortality ratio assumes a constant multiplicative increase in the age and calendar period disease rates of an exposed cohort over rates in a unexposed referent group. For analyzing several exposures, some of which may be continuous, such as cumulative dose, dose rate, duration of employment, and smoking patterns, or for analyzing complex associations between disease rate and covariates, flexible regression procedures are required. Using a crossclassification of the data and a Poisson probability model, relative risk regression methods are outlined. Breslow and Storer [1985], Guerrero and Johnson [1982], and Thomas [1981] propose general models for the relative risk as alternatives to, but which include, the usual exponential form. We review these models, discuss some limitations (in particular when there is more than one covariate) and present alternatives. Methods and models are illustrated by examining the joint effects of radon exposure and tobacco use on lung cancer mortality among a group of uranium miners.
Current policies regarding smoking in the workplace
Authors: Walsh Diana Chapman , McDougall Vernon 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThis paper briefly reviews the evolution of worksite smoking policies and programs, beginning with the goals and objectives from which they have sprung. Workplace smoking deterrents are shown to involve three different types of strategies: 1) legalistic approaches use policies and rules to restrict or foreclose smoking on the job; 2) economic strategies create incentives and disincentives, often through the employee health benefit plan; and 3) educational programs seek to motivate smokers to quit and to supply them with information and skills that may facilitate that process. The three types of intervention are combined in a broad public health approach that some companies are now developing. Research is needed on the efficacy of a range of possible approaches and attention should be paid to the ethical and policy issues of tensions and contradictions between health goals and cost containment.
A death‐certificate case‐control study of non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma and occupation in men in North Carolina
Authors: Schumacher Mary Catherine , Delzell Elizabeth 
Published: April 2007

AbstractA death certificate‐based case‐control study was performed to investigate associations between occupation and non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in North Carolina. Cases consisted of 501 men who died of NHL (International Classification of Diseases codes 200 and 202) during the years 1968–1970, 1975–1977, and 1980–1982. Controls were selected from other noncancer deaths, and were frequency matched for age, year of death, and race. Occupation and industry were obtained from the death certificates and coded without knowledge of case‐control status. An increased risk for men in professional, technical, and managerial occupations, compared with all others, was detected among whites (OR = 2.69, 1.95‐3.72). Black men classified as having “low exposures” by an occupational exposure linkage system had an odds ratio of 1.74 (0.84‐3.60). Because of this finding, the occupations were ranked by social class and a statistically significant linear relationship was noted in whites, with risk increasing from lower social class to upper social class. An increased risk was also detected among whites in the rubber, plastics, and synthetics industries (p = .03), and among blacks employed in machine trades occupations (OR = 3.63, 1.32‐9.97) and structural work occupations (OR = 2.38, 0.93‐6.05). An increased risk was also detected for black painters (p = .02), but not for whites. There was no association found between NHL and employment in the following areas: textile industry; farming; laborers; or occupations with exposures to asbestos or benzene. The association with farming was further examined in counties with high use of pesticides and herbicides, and no increased risk of NHL was detected. Cases were more likely to live in the western part of the state than the eastern. However, NHL mortality rates provided by the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics did not confirm the relationship.
Cause‐specific mortality among male textile workers in Rhode Island
Authors: Dubrow Robert , Gute David M. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractCause‐specific mortality patterns among male textile workers in Rhode Island who died during the period 1968–1978 were examined using the proportionate mortality ratio (PMR) method. Textile worker decedents were identified by the usual occupation and industry statements on Rhode Island death certificates. A statistically significant PMR elevation was observed for nonmalignant respiratory disease (NMRD) among male textile workers (PMR = 110; Observed deaths [Obs] = 433; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 102–120). The PMRs for NMRD by specific textile occupation and by type of textile manufacturing generally exhibited the pattern expected for work‐related mortality owing to textile dust exposure. High PMRs were observed among carding, lapping, and combing operatives, the decedents who probably had the highest dust exposure (PMR = 166; Obs = 24; CI = 114–243), and among operatives most likely to have worked in cotton manufacturing (PMR = 137; Obs = 47; CI = 104–179). This is the first report of excess mortality from NMRD among male textile workers in the United States. This finding is consistent with previous evidence that exposure to cotton dust can cause disabling chronic lung disease. Also noteworthy were statistically significant elevated PMRs for cancers of the rectum and esophagus among decedents who had been engaged in textile dyeing and finishing. Owing to the lack of direct information about occupational exposures and smoking habits of the decedents and uncertainties in classifying decedents by type of textile manufacturing, this investigation should be viewed as being exploratory in nature.
Clinical report on 62 cases of acute dimethyl sulfate intoxication
Authors: Ying Wang , Jing Xia , Qin‐wai Wang 
Published: April 2007

AbstractSixty‐two cases of accidental acute intoxication from the inhalation of dimethyl sulfate (DMS) are reported. To facilitate clinical evaluation and treatment, as well as identification of capacity for physical labor, a grading system was established according to the history of exposure to DMS, symptoms and signs of respiratory mucosal irritation, findings on chest radiographs, and abnormalities of leukocyte count. Emergency treatment included prophylactic use of glucocorticoids, supplemental oxygen, sedatives, and antibiotics for prevention and treatment of laryngeal and pulmonary edema, pulmonary infections, and other complications. Follow‐up studies for 2–12 years have found only mild to moderate impairment in ventilatory capacity in eight cases, with no abnormal findings in ECG, chest films, and routine blood tests. Nearly all patients have resumed their usual work.
Immunological profile of chest x‐ray‐negative, asymptomatic asbestos workers
Authors: Lahat Nitza , Sobel Esther , Djerassi L. , Kaufman Gabriela , Horenstein Lea , Gruener Nachman 
Published: April 2007

AbstractSeveral immunologic parameters, both humoral and cellular, were studied in the serum and peripheral blood lymphocytes derived from chest x‐ray‐negative, asymptomatic asbestos workers. All humoral and cellular parameters were intact, except the con‐A‐induced T cell suppressor activity and T cell division in autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction, which were significantly elevated in the asbestos plant workers. The significance of these increased T cell activities in asbestos exposed people is not clear, and further clinical and immunological follow‐up is warranted.
Vermont granite workers' mortality study
Authors: Costello Joseph , Graham William G. B. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractA cohort mortality study was carried out in Vermont granite workers who had been employed between the years 1950 and 1982. The cohort included men who had been exposed to high levels of granite dust prior to 1938–1940 (average cutters to 40 million parts/cubic foot), and those employed at dust levels after 1940, which on average were less than 10 million parts/cubic foot. Deaths were coded by a qualified nosologist and standardized mortality ratios were calculated. The results confirm previous studies that show that death rates from silicosis and tuberculosis, the major health threats in the years before 1940, were essentially eliminated after dust controls. However, we found excessive mortality rates from lung cancer in stone shed workers who had been employed prior to 1930, and hence had been exposed to high levels of granite dust. When information was available, 100% of those dying from lung cancer had been smokers.
Assuming the risks: Occupational disease in the years before workers' compensation
Authors: Bale Anthony 
Published: April 2007

AbstractIn the late 19th and early 20th centuries, new knowledge of work‐related illness became part of discourses in several institutional spheres on the relationship between aspects of the economy and workers' health. Appeals courts and state legislatures invoked this knowledge in their deliberations on legislation to ease the coercive aspects of the employment relationship. Insurers used the knowledge to help determine what types of coverage would be available to different occupational groups. In the courts, a narrow compensation remedy evolved for illness caused by employers' failure to warn of latent risks. This small, legal zone of protection of workers' health was separated out from the massive amount of uncompensated, preventable work‐related illness.
Causes of death among workers in a bearing manufacturing plant
Authors: Park Robert M. , Wegman David H. , Silverstein Michael A. , Maizlish Neil A. , Mirer Franklin E. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractRecent studies identify digestive cancer excesses among workers exposed to cutting fluids, abrasive dusts, and oil smoke. Standardized proportional mortality and mortality odds ratio studies were carried out for a ball bearing plant. Cause of death and work histories were obtained for 702 of 768 hourly employees with ten or more years service who died between 1969 and 1982. Union and company records were used to define exposure measures. The major findings were significant excesses in proportional mortality ratios (PMR) from stomach cancer (PMR = 2.0) and rectal cancer (PMR = 3.1) among white men. After control for age at death, there was a significant association between stomach cancer and precision grinding exposures, consisting primarily of direct contact with water‐based cutting fluids (usually emulsified oils) and their aerosols. Some straight oils and synthetic cutting fluids were used as well. The pattern of stomach cancer is consistent with previous findings and suggests an association with the soluble oil cutting fluids.
Identification of an industrial cohort and verification of its completeness using a complicated system of plant records
Authors: Andjelkovich Dragana A. , Levine Richard J. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe published literature on occupational mortality studies seldom describes the manner in which cohorts were assembled and efforts made to ensure that all, or nearly all, eligible persons had been enumerated. Researchers must struggle unassisted through a morass of plant records, often not knowing how to utilize important sources of information to the fullest extent. This paper describes the identification of a cohort of over 8,700 foundry workers and the verification of its completeness using existing plant data sources. By understanding the techniques for manipulating data sources in this investigation, researchers may gain insight into the use of materials available to them.