 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Girija Syamlal, MBBS, MPH, Ki Moon Bang, PhD, and John M. Wood, MS. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505, (304) 285-5827, GSyamlal@cdc.gov
Deaths from asbestosis among U.S. residents age 15 and older have increased by 33% over the 10-year period 1990-1999 (948 in 1990, to 1,265 in 1999), based on National Center for Health Statistics Multiple Cause of Death data. The age-adjusted mortality rates for asbestosis also increased, from 5.0 per million in 1990 to 5.9 per million in 1999. As a proportion of all pneumoconiosis deaths, asbestosis mortality rose even more sharply, from 26% of all pneumoconiosis deaths in 1990 to 46% in 1999. This contrasts with coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) mortality, which decreased from 55% of all pneumoconiosis deaths in 1990 to 37% in 1999. In 1998 and 1999, asbestosis deaths outnumbered CWP deaths and became the most frequent type of pneumoconiosis death recorded on death certificate. Proportionate mortality ratios (PMRs), adjusted for age, race, and sex, revealed that the ‘miscellaneous nonmetallic mineral and stone products’ industry had the highest asbestosis PMR (16.4) for the 1990-1999 period, closely followed by the ‘ship and boat building and repairing’ industry (15.7). However, the ‘construction’ industry appears to be associated with the most deaths (702 in the subset of states for which decedents’ usual industry and usual occupation information was available) and also had a significantly elevated PMR (2.4). Among occupations, ‘insulation workers’ and ‘boilermakers’ had the highest PMRs (84.3 and 20.3, respectively).
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Asbestos, Mortality
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.