Mortality from infectious pneumonia in metal workers: a comparison with deaths from asthma in occupations exposed to respiratory sensitizers
Mortality from infectious pneumonia in metal workers: a comparison with deaths from asthma in occupations exposed to respiratory sensitizers
Introduction: national analyses of mortality in England and Wales have repeatedly shown excess
deaths from pneumonia in welders. During 1979-1990 the excess was attributable
largely to deaths from lobar pneumonia and pneumonias other than bronchopneumonia,
limited to working-aged men, and apparent in other metal fume-exposed occupations.
We assessed findings for 1991-2000 and compared the mortality pattern with that from
asthma in occupations exposed to known respiratory sensitizers.
Methods: the Office of National Statistics supplied data on deaths by underlying cause among
men aged 16-74 years in England and Wales during 1991-2000, including age and last
held occupation. We abstracted data on pneumonia for occupations with exposure to
metal fume and on asthma for occupations commonly reported to surveillance schemes
as at risk of occupational asthma. We estimated expected numbers of deaths by applying
age-specific proportions of deaths by cause in the population to the total deaths by age in
each occupational group. Observed and expected numbers were compared for each
cause of death.
Results: among working-aged men in metal fume-exposed occupations we found excesses of
mortality from pneumococcal and lobar pneumonia (54 deaths vs. 27.3 expected) and
from pneumonias other than bronchopneumonia (71 vs. 52.4), but no excess from these
causes at older ages, or from bronchopneumonia at any age. The attributable mortality
from metal fume (45.3 excess deaths) compared with an estimated 62.6 deaths from
occupational asthma.
Conclusion: exposure to metal fume is a material cause of occupational mortality. The hazard
deserves far more attention than it presently receives
983-986
Palmer, Keith T.
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Cullinan, Paul
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Rice, Simon
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Brown, Terry
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Coggon, David
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November 2009
Palmer, Keith T.
0cfe63f0-1d33-40ff-ae8c-6c33601df850
Cullinan, Paul
b5b2eb0a-9fb9-4d4b-af18-5109de92d742
Rice, Simon
c5b2e9c7-cc12-4361-8653-af2a2836e9f8
Brown, Terry
15b1bf0e-a3d6-4902-abbd-53167f7d4da6
Coggon, David
2b43ce0a-cc61-4d86-b15d-794208ffa5d3
Palmer, Keith T., Cullinan, Paul, Rice, Simon, Brown, Terry and Coggon, David
(2009)
Mortality from infectious pneumonia in metal workers: a comparison with deaths from asthma in occupations exposed to respiratory sensitizers.
Thorax, 64 (11), .
(doi:10.1136/thx.2009.114280).
Abstract
Introduction: national analyses of mortality in England and Wales have repeatedly shown excess
deaths from pneumonia in welders. During 1979-1990 the excess was attributable
largely to deaths from lobar pneumonia and pneumonias other than bronchopneumonia,
limited to working-aged men, and apparent in other metal fume-exposed occupations.
We assessed findings for 1991-2000 and compared the mortality pattern with that from
asthma in occupations exposed to known respiratory sensitizers.
Methods: the Office of National Statistics supplied data on deaths by underlying cause among
men aged 16-74 years in England and Wales during 1991-2000, including age and last
held occupation. We abstracted data on pneumonia for occupations with exposure to
metal fume and on asthma for occupations commonly reported to surveillance schemes
as at risk of occupational asthma. We estimated expected numbers of deaths by applying
age-specific proportions of deaths by cause in the population to the total deaths by age in
each occupational group. Observed and expected numbers were compared for each
cause of death.
Results: among working-aged men in metal fume-exposed occupations we found excesses of
mortality from pneumococcal and lobar pneumonia (54 deaths vs. 27.3 expected) and
from pneumonias other than bronchopneumonia (71 vs. 52.4), but no excess from these
causes at older ages, or from bronchopneumonia at any age. The attributable mortality
from metal fume (45.3 excess deaths) compared with an estimated 62.6 deaths from
occupational asthma.
Conclusion: exposure to metal fume is a material cause of occupational mortality. The hazard
deserves far more attention than it presently receives
Text
thx.2009.114280v1.pdf
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Published date: November 2009
Organisations:
Dev Origins of Health & Disease
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Local EPrints ID: 69629
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/69629
ISSN: 0040-6376
PURE UUID: 9f66cd29-a51c-41dd-a380-50b374d0490b
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Date deposited: 20 Nov 2009
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:39
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Author:
Keith T. Palmer
Author:
Paul Cullinan
Author:
Simon Rice
Author:
Terry Brown
Author:
David Coggon
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