OCCUPATIONAL RESPIRATORY DISEASE SURVEILLANCE

National Occupational Respiratory Mortality System (NORMS)

 

The National Occupational Respiratory Mortality System (NORMS) is a data-storage and interactive data-retrieval system developed and maintained by NIOSH. The National Surveillance System for Pneumoconiosis Mortality (NSSPM), the precursor to NORMS, is now one of its components. NORMS is a compilation of national mortality data obtained annually (since 1968, unless otherwise indicated) from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) multiple cause-of-death [note: = link to NORMS Glossary] records for the following respiratory conditions:

• Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis  (since 1979)
• Malignant Mesothelioma  (since 1999)
  • Malignant Mesothelioma of Pleura
  • Malignant Mesothelioma of Peritoneum
  • Malignant Mesothelioma of Other Sites
  • Malignant Mesothelioma, Unspecified Sites
• Pneumoconiosis
  • Asbestosis
  • Byssinosis  (since 1979)
  • Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis
  • Silicosis
  • Other Pneumoconiosis
  • Unspecified Pneumoconiosis

Industry-specific and occupation-specific mortality data, for both the former and the following lists of respiratory conditions, have been compiled annually (1985-1999, unless otherwise indicated) for a selected list of states (and years) for which industry and occupation coding from death certificates met NCHS quality criteria:

• Asthma
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
  • Bronchitis, not specified
  • Chronic Bronchitis
  • Emphysema
  • Other COPD and Bronchiectasis
• Conditions due to Chemical Fumes and Vapors
• Influenza
• Lung Cancer
• Malignant Neoplasm of the Pleura
• Mycobacterial Infections
  • All Sites (aggregated)
  • Pulmonary and Unspecified Sites
• Other Interstitial Pulmonary Diseases
• Pleural Plaque  (1999 only)
• Pneumonia
• Tuberculosis
  • All Sites (aggregated)
  • Respiratory Tuberculosis
  • Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Deaths from these conditions are defined on the basis of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding categories. NORMS compiles mortality data for the total number of U.S. residents identified with any of the previously mentioned respiratory conditions listed on the entity axis or underlying cause-of-death code fields as well as for the subset of decedents where the respiratory condition is listed only as a contributing cause-of-death on the entity axis. Additional information is available by age group (0-14, 15-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75-84, or 85 years and older), race (white, black, or other), Hispanic origin , gender, and state and county of residence at the time of death.