Mortality Among 127,266 Petroleum Company Employees
The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine is publishing in its October issue the results of an epidemiological study of 127,266 men employed in the U.S. by a major petroleum company with at least one day of employment from 1979 through 2000. Standardized mortality ratios were calculated for 94 causes of death. Overall these workers had risks below, and often well below, those of typical American males of the same age. However, the mesothelioma rate was triple that expected (CI=1.15 – 1.90) but only for men hired before 1960. Overall, the rate for acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (including AML) was essentially as expected though a subgroup in the chemicals portion of the business did show a statistically significant increase. Interestingly, there was a statistically significant increase in mortality from melanoma among truck drivers.
As is typical of refinery worker studies, these employees fared quite well as a group. Whether that’s because, as a plaintiff attorney friend of mine speculates, the oil companies are especially good at spotting people who’ll be less likely to die of say stomach cancer or whether it’s because these workers tend to be better paid, have better access to health care and so tend to live healthier lives remains to be seen.
The article is titled “Mortality Patterns and Trends Among 127,266 U.S.-Based Men in a Petroleum Company: Update 1979-2000” and was authored by Huebner WW, Wojcik NC, Jorgensen G, Marcella SP and Nicolich MJ.
