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Description:

This analytic data file set consists of one file that contains 11 variables used in a cohort mortality study of workers at the Pantex plant. The study was published in Mortality Update for the Pantex Weapons Facility: HHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2005-124. Silver SR, Anderson P, Burphy J, Hiratzka S, Schubauer-Berigan MK, Waters KM.

Study Population: The current study population includes all males and females, regardless of race, ever employed at the Pantex facility between the start of operations in 1951 and December 31, 1978. Vital status follow-up was extended through December 31, 1995. This full NIOSH cohort comprises 4,668 workers. Because complete work history information was not collected for workers who continued employment after December 31, 1978, analyses involving duration of employment were limited to an early-term subcohort of 2,721 workers who had died or terminated employment before 1979.

How This Study Was Done: This epidemiologic study examined the causes of deaths among all Pantex workers employed by the facility between September 1, 1954 and December 31, 1991. Deaths among the workers were compared with rates for the general U.S. population. For the early-term subcohort, internal comparisons (SRRs) based on employment duration were calculated for leukemia using 0-, 2-, and 5-year lag periods and for solid tumors using 10-, 15-, and 20-year lag periods. The variables used for this study are: ID, vital status, sex, race, date of birth, date of death, underlying cause of death, begin date of employment, end date of employment, early-term subcohort flag, and ICD revison number in which death information was coded. The study report and findings were reviewed by experts outside NIOSH.

Study Findings: The all-cause SMR for the early-term subcohort (0.98, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.92-1.05) was higher than that seen in the full NIOSH cohort (SMR=0.81, 95% CI=0.76-0.86)and was close to that expected from U.S. population rates. The leukemia SMR was elevated (early-term subcohort SMR=1.47, 95% CI = 0.73-2.63) but SRRs showed no evidence of a positive exposure-response relation with increasing duration of employment. Lung cancer SMRs with 10- and 15-year lags were just below expectation. Breast cancer was elevated only in workers with employment durations of 5 to 10 years. The SMR for prostate cancer was as expected, but this outcome showed a statistically significant positive exposure-response [slope: 1.36 x 10^-5 per person-year (PY) x year of employment (YOE), standard error: 4.31 x 10^-6 per PY x YOE], with a very high though imprecise, point estimate (SRR=7.57, 95% CI=1.03-55.72) workers employed at least 20 years with a 10-year lag imposed. Multiple myeloma also exhibited a statistically significant positive exposure-response.

Study Limitations: There is a potential for positive bias in the early-term subcohort due to exclusion of long-term healthy workers from this group. Caution should therefore be exercised in generalizing the exposure-response results beyond the early-term subcohort.

Data from this file was used in the Life Table standardized mortality ration (SMR) and standardized rate ratio (SRR) analyses.

Number of data files: 1

Cohort Size: 4668

Cause of Death Summary Table

Notes: This study was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies, Healt Research Branch through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) established between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Health and Human Services. This MOU provides for the independent conduct of epidemiologic researc current and former workers in the DOE nuclear weapons complex. More information about the NIOSH Occupational Energy Research Program may be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/2001-133.html

Contact Information:

Silver, M.S. Sharon
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Epidemiologist
Robert A. Taft Laboratories /MS-R44. 4676 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45226-9987
(513) 841-4400
Fax: 841-4470
Email: SSilver@cdc.gov

CITATION:   CEDR Library ID: 2089 (for full bibliographic record)

ADDED REFERENCE:   CEDR Library ID: 2097 (for full bibliographic record)

ADDED REFERENCE:   CEDR Library ID: 1341 (for full bibliographic record)

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