Mortality patterns by occupation in a cohort of electric utility workers

Background Mortality patterns were examined in a United States cohort of 13 8,905 male electric utility workers from five companies to help interpret p revious studies of health effects in this industry. Methods Using Poisson regression techniques, internal cohort analyses exami ned total mortality, cardiovascular disease, and cancer in relation to dura tion of employment in each of nineteen occupational categories which compri se utility operations. Results Relative to workers who were never involved in utility operations ( e.g., administrative workers), mortality rate ratios among operations worke rs were higher for total mortality, cardiovascular disease, and total cance r Lung cancer risk was consistently elevated, whereas increased mortality f or other cancers was less consistent. Conclusions The results of this study indicate excess risk of total mortali ty, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers among electric utility workers , which could be related to both occupational and non-occupational risk fac tors. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.