Leonard Chiazze

Historical cohort mortality study of a continuous filament fiberglass manufacturing plant. I. White men

An historical cohort mortality study of a continuous filament fiberglass manufacturing plant was undertaken to determine whether an elevated lung cancer risk would be observed on a cohort basis. A nested case-control study of white male lung cancer deaths was incorporated into the study design. An interview survey to obtain information on sociodemographic factors, including smoking, and an historical environmental reconstruction to identify elements in the plant environment to which workers might be exposed were included in the study design. Respirable glass (Beta) fibers were produced only from 1963 to 1968. The lung cancer odds ratio (OR) among those workers exposed to respirable glass fibers is below unity, as are ORs for exposure to asbestos, refractory ceramic fibers, respirable silica (except for the lowest exposure level), total chrome and arsenic. There is a suggestion of an increase with exposure among smokers only for exposure to formaldehyde, although the OR for the highest level is based on only one case and is not likely to be meaningful. None of these plant exposures suggests an increase in lung cancer risk for this population. Although the lung cancer standardized mortality ratios are slightly elevated, results of the case-control investigation confirm that neither respirable glass fibers nor any of the substances investigated as part of the plant environment are associated with an increase in lung cancer risk for this population.

Mortality among automobile assembly workers. I. Spray painters

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether there was an increased mortality, especially with respect to cancer of the lung, among spray painters in the automobile manufacturing industry. The study was carried out at ten assembly plants from five participating companies and utilized both proportionate mortality ratio (PMR) and case-control analyses. Among workers with spray-painting experience, there were no statistically significant PMRs for lung cancer, either for all companies combined or for any company individually. In addition, the case-control analyses did not demonstrate a statistically significant excess risk for lung cancer mortality, adjusting for length of employment and duration in spray painting. The case-control analysis was large enough to detect approximately a two-fold increase if, in fact, an increase that large actually existed.

Historical cohort mortality study of a continuous filament fiberglass manufacturing plant. II. Women and minorities.

An historical cohort mortality study was undertaken at Owens Cornings continuous filament fiberglass manufacturing plant in Anderson, South Carolina. The cohort included 1074 white women, 130 black women, and 494 black men who worked for a minimum of one year from the opening of the plant in 1951 through December 31, 1991. This represents the largest single cohort of white women assembled to date in either a wool or continuous filament fiberglass manufacturing facility and represents the first study of a cohort of black men and women in the man-made vitreous fiber industry. Over 95% of the women and minorities included in this report held production positions in the plant. There were no significant excesses or deficits in mortality by cause, including cancer causes, among white women, with the exception of motor-vehicle accidents, when compared with national mortality. Among black men, standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for heart disease are significantly below one, and SMRs for all cancers combined are below unity on both national and local standards. Lung cancer SMRs are below unity for both white women and black men.

Adjustment for the confounding effect of cigarette smoking in an historical cohort mortality study of workers in a fiberglass manufacturing facility

In 1986 a statistically significant lung cancer SMR based on U.S. white male national mortality rates was reported for male fibrous glass workers for follow-up through 1982 of a cohort of U.S. man-made mineral fiber workers. The Newark, Ohio, plant of Owens-Corning, which comprised 38% of the fibrous glass workers in that cohort, also exhibited a statistically significant lung cancer standardized mortality ratio based on U.S. white male mortality rates. A case-control study of the Newark workers demonstrated that a history of cigarette smoking and not exposure to respirable glass is the most important factor in lung cancer risk for workers at the Newark plant. We provide an estimate of the extent of confounding by cigarette smoking for the Newark plant nationally based lung cancer standardized mortality ratio with data not previously available and which suggests that adjusting for the confounding effect of cigarette smoking could reduce the lung cancer standardized mortality ratio to a nonstatistically significant level.

A case control study of lung cancer and non-malignant respiratory disease among employees in asphalt roofing manufacturing and asphalt production

Two case control studies, one for lung cancer and one for non-malignant respiratory disease excluding influenza and pneumonia, of workers engaged in asphalt roofing manufacturing and asphalt production were performed to determine whether there was an increased risk associated with exposure to asphalt fumes or respirable crystalline silica in these industries. Industrial hygiene data for these roofing and asphalt plants do not exist before 1977. Pre-1977 exposure scenarios were constructed to estimate historic exposures for asphalt fumes and respirable crystalline silica. The only statistically significant elevated ORs were for cigarette smoking in both the lung cancer and the non-malignant disease analyses. The lack of an apparent dose-response relationship with exposure to asphalt fumes argues against an association between exposure to asphalt fumes at levels present in the industries reported on here and lung cancer and non-malignant respiratory disease, excluding influenza and pneumonia risk.

Breast cancer mortality among PVC fabricators.

A case-control analysis of breast cancer deaths among PVC fabricators is presented. This study is an extension of a cross-sectional mortality study of deaths occurring among 17 PVC fabricators during the years 1964 to 1973. Relative risk estimates were derived and tested using the Mantel-Haenszel procedure. Although no statistically significant relative risks were found, a least significant relative risk analysis indicated that the underlying relative risk would have to be on the order of three to one in order to be detected. There does seem to be reasonable assurance that very large increases in risk for breast cancer do not exist among these PVC fabricators.

An historical cohort mortality study of synthetic fiber workers potentially exposed to glycerol polyglycidyl ether.

We report an update of the mortality experience of a cohort of 8878 employees who worked between November 1, 1965, and December 31, 1988, at a synthetic fiber manufacturing facility with potential exposure to glycerol polyglycidyl ether (T55) and were followed through December 31, 1998. The mortality experience of the race/gender groups within the cohort was strikingly similar, with both the all causes of death and all cancer causes of death below unity on both national and local standards. For white men, there were no statistically significant increases for any cause of death, with the exception of benign neoplasms. Thirty-four percent of the cohort had worked at the plant for less than 1 year. Standardized mortality ratios were compiled for those with less than 1 year of employment and for those with 1 year or more of employment. Exclusion of those cohort members who worked less than 1 year had little impact on the standardized mortality ratios.