| A Proportional Mortality Ratio (PMR) analysis and Proportional Cancer Mortality Ratio (PCMR) analysis were done of workers at an International Harvester plant in Illinois which has produced crawler tractors and diesel engines since 1946. The industrial processes used at the plant include machining, solvent cleaning, welding, brazing, heat treating, assembly and engine testing, with exposures to cutting oils, solvents, and metal fumes and dust. A total of 461 deaths occurred between 1970 and 1982, with 351 deaths to whites, and 110 to blacks. PMRs and PCMRs were calculated using the Illinois and local county distribution of deaths as the standard, and PMRs were also calculated using the U.S. standard population. In most cases, Illinois PMRs and PCMRs were similar to the county and national results.; Among whites, non-malignant deficits were found for respiratory and digestive deaths, but the PMRs were not statistically significant. No excess of cancer or other causes of death were found. No site specific cancers were significantly in excess for white males in either the PMR and PCMR analysis, for all such deaths, and for the group with 20 or more years of employment. However, statistical power was low for most sites except lung. A moderate and non-significant excess of deaths from prostate and stomach cancer and from malignant melanoma were also found for whites.; Among blacks, a significant excess of all neoplasms was found, but the distribution of other non-malignant causes of death was near expectation. A significant excess of cancer of the pancreas, malignancies of the lymphatic and hematopoietic system, and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas was found in the PMR analysis, and for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the PCMR analysis. All of the deaths for these cancer sites occurred to workers with 20 or more years of employment. A moderate but insignificant excess of cancer of the prostate and multiple myeloma was also found for blacks. When the white and black deaths for these two sites were analyzed together, the PMRs were significantly above expectation. The combined PCMRs were also excessive, but were not significant. |
