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Table 1 Vital status and demographic characteristics of PCB-exposed workers stratified by gender and plant a

From: Update: cohort mortality study of workers highly exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) during the manufacture of electrical capacitors, 1940-1998

Characteristic

Combined plants

Plant 1

Plant 2

 

Total

Men

Women

    

Number of workers

2572

1247

(48)

1325

(52)

973

(38)

1599

(62)

Race, n (%)

          

   White

2523

(98)

1239

(99)

1284

(97)

967

(99)

1556

(97)

   Non-white

49

(2)

8

(1)

41

(3)

6

(1)

43

(3)

Vital status as of 12-31-1998, n (%)

          

   Deceased, cause of death known

787

(31)

348

(28)

439

(33)

305

(31)

482

(30)

   Deceased, cause of death unknown

11

(<1)

7

(1)

4

(<1)

5

(1)

6

(<1)

   Alive

1743

(68)

876

(70)

867

(65)

655

(67)

1088

(68)

   Unknown

31

(1)

16

(1)

15

(1)

8

(1)

23

(1)

Age at death or date last observed (years)

          

   mean ± standard deviation

63.6 ± 13.0

59.8 ± 11.8

67.1 ± 13.2

64.1 ± 12.4

63.2 ± 13.4

   median (range)

64.1 (18.5 – 102.0)

58.6 (19.5 – 95.4)

69.0 (18.5 – 102.0)

64.8 (27.4 – 95.4)

63.8 (18.5 – 102.0)

Time since last employment (years) b

          

   median (range)

26.5 (0 – 52.6)

25.8 (0 – 51.8)

26.8 (0 – 52.6)

21.5 (0 – 52.6)

29.5 (0 – 49.0)

Age at first employment (years)

          

   mean ± standard deviation

26.8 ± 10.2

25.1 ± 9.3

28.3 ± 10.7

29.0 ± 9.1

25.4 ± 10.5

   median (range)

23.3 (15.0 – 63.7)

21.8 (15.2 – 63.7)

25.9 (15.0 – 63.7)

26.4 (17.1 – 57.2)

20.5 (15.0 – 63.7)

Duration of employment, n (%)

          

   90 days – <5 years

1261

(49)

674

(54)

587

(44)

338

(35)

923

(58)

   5 years – <10 years

448

(17)

205

(16)

243

(18)

201

(21)

247

(15)

   ≥10 years

863

(34)

368

(30)

495

(37)

434

(45)

429

(27)

   median (range)

5.2 (0.3 – 35.8)

3.9 (0.3 – 35.8)

6.1 (0.3 – 35.1)

8.7 (0.3 – 31.4)

3.5 (0.3 – 35.8)

Time since first employment (years), n (%)

          

   < 10

55

(2)

36

(3)

19

(1)

22

(2)

33

(2)

   10 – <15

44

(2)

20

(2)

24

(2)

14

(1)

30

(2)

   15 – <20

64

(2)

34

(3)

30

(2)

28

(3)

36

(2)

   ≥20

2409

(94)

1157

(93)

1252

(94)

909

(93)

1500

(94)

   median (range)

36.8 (0.6 – 60.0)

33.3 (0.6 – 59.5)

39.6 (1.7 – 60.0)

33.1 (0.6 – 53.0)

38.5 (0.6 – 60.0)

Person-years at risk

93,623

42,826

50,797

33,834

59,789

  1. a Number in parentheses indicates percent of total number of workers available for analysis.
  2. b Employment refers to time worked during the time period when PCBs were in use at the plants.
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Environmental Health

ISSN: 1476-069X