Mortality Among Hourly Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Workers

Review the ways in which mortality rates in autoworkers differ from those in the general US population. Describe how standardized mortality ratios in autoworkers relate to gender, race, and duration of employment. Discuss the implications of these findings for occupational influences on mortality in this study population. We evaluated mortality among 198,245 motor vehicle industry workers during the period of 1973 to 1995. Workers’ mortality rates were lower than expected overall (40,131 observed/43,859 expected deaths, standardized mortality ratio [SMR] = 92, CI = 91–92) and for all major cause of death categories except cancer (SMR = 100, CI = 98–102). Mortality rates were higher than expected for lung cancer overall (SMR = 110, CI = 107–113) and among employees in transmission/gear manufacturing (SMR = 121, CI = 112–130), casting operations (SMR = 122, CI = 110–135), engine manufacturing (SMR = 111, CI = 101–123), and vehicle assembly (SMR = 111, CI = 105–117); for stomach cancer in engine manufacturing (SMR = 147, CI = 110–192); and for prostate cancer in casting operations (SMR = 128, CI = 102–158). Excesses of lung cancer in transmission, vehicle assembly, and casting operations and of stomach cancer in engine manufacturing have been observed in other investigations. Further information on employees’ occupational exposures and personal attributes is required to clarify the interpretation of these results.