Citation

Laden F, Hart JE, Smith TJ, Davis ME, Garshick E. Environ. Health Perspect. 2007; 115(8): 1192-1196.

Affiliation

Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. Francine.Laden@channing.harvard.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)

DOI

10.1289/ehp.10027

PMID

17687446

PMCID

PMC1940099

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Occupational and population-based studies have related exposure to fine particulate air pollution, and specifically particulate matter from vehicle exhausts, to cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer. OBJECTIVES: We have established a large retrospective cohort to assess mortality in the unionized U.S. trucking industry. To provide insight into mortality patterns associated with job-specific exposures, we examined rates of cause-specific mortality compared with the general U.S. population. METHODS: We used records from four national trucking companies to identify 54,319 male employees employed in 1985. Cause-specific mortality was assessed through 2000 using the National Death Index. Expected numbers of all and cause-specific deaths were calculated stratifying by race, 10-year age group, and calendar period using U.S. national reference rates. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for the entire cohort and by job title. RESULTS: As expected in a working population, we found a deficit in overall and all-cancer mortality, likely due to the healthy worker effect. In contrast, compared with the general U.S. population, we observed elevated rates for lung cancer, ischemic heart disease, and transport-related accidents. Lung cancer rates were elevated among all drivers (SMR = 1.10; 95% CI, 1.02-1.19) and dockworkers (SMR = 1.10; 95% CI, 0.94-1.30); ischemic heart disease was also elevated among these groups of workers [drivers, SMR = 1.49 (95% CI, 1.40-1.59); dockworkers, SMR = 1.32 (95% CI, 1.15-1.52)], as well as among shop workers (SMR = 1.34; 95% CI, 1.05-1.72). CONCLUSIONS: In this detailed assessment of specific job categories in the U.S. trucking industry, we found an excess of mortality due to lung cancer and ischemic heart disease, particularly among drivers.

Language: en