19 Oct 2006
Source: Medical News Today
A person who works in the manufacturing of computers has a higher risk of dying
of cancer, compared to other people, according to an article published in the
journal Environmental Health. In fact, overall death rates (cancer and
non cancer) are higher among computer manufacturing workers.
Previous studies had indicated there was some link between computer manufacturing workers and cancer. However, they involved small numbers of people. This study is much bigger.
IBM has a file that includes details on 31,941 people who had died and worked at the company's plants between 1969 and 2001. The file includes details on each person's cause of death, date of birth and when they died. IBM had to hand the file over to the plaintiff in a court case.
Dr. Richard W. Clapp, an epidemiologist, Boston University School of Public Health, was given the file by the plaintiff's lawyers. He was asked to find out whether too many employees had died at the plants (proportionally, in comparison to the general population).
When compared to the general population, Clapp found that PRMs (proportional mortality ratios) averaged 107 for male employees and 115 for female employees.
PCMRs (proportional cancer mortality ratios) were:
MEN
-- 166 for brain and CNS (central nervous system) cancers
-- 162 for kidney cancer
-- 179 for melanoma
-- 126 for pancreatic cancer
WOMEN
-- 212 for kidney cancer
-- 163 for lymphatic cancer
Other diseases with higher PRMs included MS (multiple sclerosis), Parkinson's disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease.
Clapp said workers were exposed to:
-- arsenic
-- chromium
-- nickel
-- photoresist
-- radiofrequency
-- ultraviolet light
-- x-ray radiation
Clapp concluded that exposure to solvents and other chemicals would have raised mortality rates. However, as he did not have data on individual exposure, he could make no conclusions regarding particular agents.
"Mortality among US employees of a large computer manufacturing company:
1969-2001"
Richard W Clapp
Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source
2006, 5:30 doi:10.1186/1476-069X-5-30
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=54638