Citation

Herbert R, Landrigan PJ. Am. J. Public Health 2000; 90(4): 541-545.

Affiliation

Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA. rherb42654@aol.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, American Public Health Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10754967

PMCID

PMC1446189

Abstract

Worldwide, work-related illnesses and injuries kill approximately 1.1 million people per year. In 1992, an estimated 65,000 people in the United States died of occupational injuries or illness. Most estimates indicate that occupational diseases account for far more fatalities than occupational injuries. However, an accurate enumeration of occupational disease fatalities is hampered by a paucity of data, owing to underdiagnosis of occupational diseases and inadequacy of current surveillance systems. In this commentary, the authors review the epidemiology of death due to occupational disease and injury in the United States and discuss vulnerable populations, emerging trends, and prevention strategies for this ongoing public health problem.