Mortality Among White and Nonwhite Farmers in North Carolina, 1976-1978

  • Delzell, Elizabeth;
  • Grufferman, Seymour
More Like This

AUTHOR ABSTRACT

Death certificate information identified 9,245 white and 3,508 nonwhite men who died in North Carolina during 1976-1978 and who had been farmers. The distribution of deaths from various causes among these men was compared to that of other male decedents in the state. For both white and nonwhite farmers, proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) were elevated for tuberculosis (whites, 1.6; nonwhites, 1.7), diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (whites, 2.5; nonwhites, 1.5), and external causes (whites, 1.2; nonwhites, 1.1) and were decreased for cancers of the esophagus (whites and nonwhites, 0.5) and large intestine and rectum (whites and nonwhites, 0.7). White farmers had an increased relative frequency of melanoma (PMR = 1.2) and other skin cancer (PMR = 1.8), while nonwhite farmers had an increased relative frequency of melanoma (PMR = 6.3), brain cancer (PMR = 2.3), and leukemia (PMR = 1.9). In addition, among decedents under 65 years of age, both white and nonwhite farmers had an elevated proportional mortality ratio for prostate cancer (whites, 1.6; nonwhites, 1.3). Many of these results are consistent with observations from other studies. Some of these findings, particularly those for nonwhites, warrant further evaluation, including detailed investigation of possibly related farming practices.

JOURNAL AND NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE ID#

JOURNAL: Am J Epidemiol. 1985; 121(3): 391-402.

Note: American Journal of Epidemiology.

NLOM ID#: 85248343 .

Publication #: 85248343

This document was extracted from the CDC-NIOSH Epidemiology of Farm Related Injuries: Bibliography With Abstracts, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

We are unable to supply copies of the full report cited in this entry. Readers are advised to use the following sources:

  • Author or publisher: articles are frequently available from the author or publisher.
  • Medical or other research libraries: these facilities often have the material on hand or know where it can be obtained. If available, each journal entry includes the appropriate National Library of Medicine unique identification number to aid in interlibrary loan requests.
  • Government: some U.S. Government-sponsored research reports, including ones out-of print, are available from the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce.

Disclaimer and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More

BACK TO TOP