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Table 4 Observed number of deaths and SMRs for selected cancers, stratified by plant, gender and study periods.

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

Underlying cause of death Combined plants Plant 1 Plant 2
  Total Men Women       
  O SMR 95% CI O SMR 95% CI O SMR 95% CI O SMR 95% CI O SMR 95% CI
All cancers (1940 – 1982) a 62 0.78 0.60 – 1.00 17 0.54 0.32 – 0.87 45 0.93 0.68 – 1.25 18 0.58 0.34 – 0.91 44 0.91 0.66 – 1.22
All cancers (1983 – 1998) b 157 1.18 1.00 – 1.38 61 1.04 0.80 – 1.34 96 1.29 1.05 – 1.58 53 0.97 0.73 – 1.27 104 1.33 1.08 – 1.61
MN of stomach (1940 – 1982) 1 0.36 0.01 – 1.99 1 0.71 0.02 – 3.98 0    0    1 0.63 0.02 – 3.48
MN of stomach (1983 – 1998) 4 1.26 0.34 – 3.23 3 1.82 0.37 – 5.31 1 0.66 0.02 – 3.67 0    4 2.19 0.60 – 5.60
MN of intestine, excluding rectum (1940 – 1982) 8 1.04 0.45 – 2.05 1 0.38 0.01 – 2.14 7 1.37 0.55 – 2.83 3 1.03 0.21 – 3.02 5 1.04 0.34 – 2.43
MN of intestine, excluding rectum (1983 – 1998) 19 1.51 0.91 – 2.36 2 0.39 0.05 – 1.42 17 2.27 1.32 – 3.64 5 0.99 0.32 – 2.32 14 1.86 1.02 – 3.12
MN of rectum (1940 – 1982) 4 2.11 0.57 – 5.39 1 1.25 0.03 – 6.96 3 2.73 0.56 – 7.97 1 1.25 0.03 – 6.96 3 2.73 0.56 – 7.97
MN of rectum (1983 – 1998) 2 0.94 0.11 – 3.40 1 1.02 0.03 – 5.65 1 0.88 0.02 – 4.87 0    2 1.60 0.19 – 5.78
MN of biliary passages, liver and gall bladder (1940 – 1982) 5 2.63 0.85 – 6.14 1 1.43 0.04 – 7.96 4 3.33 0.91 – 8.53 1 1.43 0.04 – 7.96 4 3.33 0.91 – 8.53
MN of biliary passages, liver and gall bladder (1983 – 1998) 6 1.82 0.67 – 3.97 3 2.04 0.42 – 5.97 3 1.65 0.34 – 4.81 3 2.22 0.46 – 6.50 3 1.54 0.32 – 4.51
MN of pancreas (1940 – 1982) 2 0.54 0.07 – 1.95 1 0.63 0.02 – 3.48 1 0.48 0.01 – 2.65 1 0.67 0.02 – 3.71 1 0.45 0.01 – 2.53
MN of pancreas (1983 – 1998) 10 1.46 0.70 – 2.69 3 1.06 0.22 – 3.11 7 1.74 0.70 – 3.58 4 1.45 0.39 – 3.71 6 1.47 0.54 – 3.19
MN of respiratory system (1940 – 1982) 10 0.59 0.28 – 1.09 5 0.45 0.15 – 1.05 5 0.86 0.28 – 2.01 7 0.88 0.35 – 1.80 3 0.34 0.07 – 0.99
MN of respiratory system (1983 – 1998) 50 1.23 0.92 – 1.63 25 1.12 0.72 – 1.65 25 1.38 0.89 – 2.04 18 1.01 0.60 – 1.59 32 1.41 0.97 – 1.99
MN of urinary organs (1940 – 1982) 4 1.43 0.39 – 3.66 4 2.50 0.68 – 6.40 0    2 1.67 0.20 – 6.02 2 1.25 0.15 – 4.52
MN of urinary organs (1983 – 1998) 8 1.52 0.66 – 3.00 4 1.35 0.37 – 3.46 4 1.74 0.48 – 4.46 2 0.86 0.10 – 3.11 6 2.05 0.75 – 4.45
Neoplasms of lymphatic and hematopoietic tissues (1940 – 1982) 5 0.68 0.22 – 1.58 1 0.29 0.01 – 1.64 4 1.00 0.27 – 2.56 0    5 1.11 0.36 – 2.59
Neoplasms of lymphatic and hematopoietic tissues (1983 – 1998) 17 1.38 0.80 – 2.20 6 1.08 0.40 – 2.36 11 1.61 0.80 – 2.88 4 0.79 0.22 – 2.02 13 1.78 0.95 – 3.05
MN of breast (1940 – 1982) 9 0.77 0.35 – 1.46 0    9 0.77 0.35 – 1.46 1 0.30 0.01 – 1.69 8 0.96 0.42 – 1.90
MN of breast (1983 – 1998) 6 0.46 0.17 – 1.01 0    6 0.46 0.17 – 1.01 1 0.25 0.01 – 1.41 5 0.55 0.18 – 1.29
MN of female genital organs (1940 – 1982) 7 0.85 0.34 – 1.76     7 0.85 0.34 – 1.76 1 0.43 0.01 – 2.42 6 1.02 0.37 – 2.21
MN of female genital organs (1983 – 1998) 14 1.85 1.01 – 3.11     14 1.85 1.01 – 3.11 4 1.74 0.47 – 4.44 10 1.91 0.91 – 3.50
  1. Abbreviations: O: observed number of deaths; SMR: standardized mortality ratio based on U.S. referent rates; CI: confidence interval; MN: malignant neoplasm.
  2. a Results for vital status follow-up from 1940 through 1982 based on 2588 workers in jobs with the potential for the highest, most direct exposure to PCBs and computed from observed and expected deaths reported in Table 3 of Brown (1987).
  3. b Results for vital status follow-up from 1983 through 1998 based on 2257 PCB exposed workers (current cohort of 2572 workers [2588 workers less 16 with < 90 days of employment based on the recoded work histories] in jobs with the potential for the highest, most direct exposure to PCBs less 291 workers who died and 24 workers lost to follow-up prior to 1983).
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Environmental Health

ISSN: 1476-069X