Mortality at an Automotive Engine Foundry and Machining Complex

Abstract

Mortality was analyzed for an automotive engine foundry and machining complex, with process exposures derived from department assignments. Logistic regression models of mortality odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for 2546 deaths, and numbers of work-related deaths were estimated. Lung cancer mortality in the foundry was increased where cleaning and finishing of castings was performed (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.15 to 2.4 [at mean exposure duration of exposed cases]) and in care-making after 1967 (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.11 to 2.0). Black workers had excess lung cancer mortality in machining heat-treat operations (OR, 2.5, 95% CI, 1.4 to 4.3) and excess nonmalignant respiratory disease mortality in molding (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.16 to 5.5) and core-making (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.25 to 5.8). Stomach cancer mortality was elevated among workers with metalworking fluid exposures in precision grinding (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.14 to 5.1). Heart disease mortality was increased among all workers in molding (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.09 to 2.3), as was stroke mortality among workers exposed to metalworking fluids (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.22 to 2.7). Malignant and nonmalignant liver disease mortality was elevated in assembly/testing and precision grinding. In this modern foundry, 11% of deaths were estimated to be work-related despite it's being largely in regulatory compliance over its 40-year existence. Machining plant exposures accounted for 3% or more of deaths there.

Mortality Among Hourly Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Workers

“…43,44 Kidney and Lymphatic and Hematopoietic Tissue Cancers Nonwhite men in engine manufacturing and in transmission/gear manufacturing had 2-fold increases in deaths from kidney cancer; lymphatic and hematopoietic tissue cancer deaths were increased among nonwhite men in engine manufacturing and casting operations; and there were more than expected deaths from leukemia among workers in steel operations. Other studies provide little support for these results, 13,15,16,21,35 and they may be the result of chance.…”

“…22 Many studies of such workers have reported an excess of lung cancer, 16,17,[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] whereas only a few investigations had essentially null results. 8,34,35 Thus, a causal relation between foundry work and lung cancer is plausible, although confounding or effect modification by smoking could have contributed to our results.…”

“…Seventy-five percent of the study group was alive at the end of 1995, 20% was deceased, and 5% had unknown vital status. As of the end of 1995, the employees with unknown vital status had a median age of 55 years and a median of16 years since separation from Ford. All subjects combined had 3,536,354 person-years of follow-up (median, 22 years).…”

Case–control study of male germ cell tumors nested in a cohort of car‐manufacturing workers: Findings from the occupational history

“…Several publications confirmed a possible carcinogenic potential of metalworking fluids (MWF) [Mirer et al, 1988;Park, 2001;Savitz, 2003;Agalliu et al, 2005;Bardin et al, 2005;Malloy et al, 2007], but an explicit association with testicular cancer has never been described before. MWF are a complex mixture of chemicals and toxic microbial agents [Gordon, 2004].…”

Long-Term Health Experience of Jet Engine Manufacturing Workers

“…We focused the exposure-related analysis on metalworking fluids (MWFs): mineral oil and soluble (MWFMin and MWF-Sol), the two quantified exposure classes in this study that have been shown in similar studies of other industrial/manufacturing workers to be related to nonmalignant respiratory disease mortality. [12][13][14][15] Because MWF exposures did not vary by plant but by task, exposures were assigned by job class. The exposure intervals by job class over time used in this study and the corresponding methodology are presented elsewhere.…”