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Neil Pearce

Publications and source records attributed to Neil Pearce.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Mortality and cancer incidence in New Zealand pulp and paper mill workers.

AIMS: To evaluate mortality and cancer incidence in a cohort of workers employed in the New Zealand pulp and paper industry, and to identify the exposures responsible for any increased risk. METHODS: A total of 8456 workers employed for at least one year in three pulp and paper mills between 1978 and 1990 were followed up until 1992. The observed number of deaths and cancer cases was compared with expected numbers calculated using five-year age-specific rates for the New Zealand population. RESULTS: Vital status was determined for 81% of the cohort, and for 93% of the total person-years at risk. Mortality from all causes (standardised mortality ratios (SMR) = 0.80, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.71-0.89; 314 deaths), and from all malignant neoplasms (SMR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.78-1.15, 103 deaths), was lower than expected. Mortality from lung cancer (SMR = 1.33, 95% CI 0.94-1.83, 37 deaths) was marginally increased. CONCLUSIONS: No overall increase in mortality from cancer or other causes was observed in this cohort. A small increase in lung cancer risk is suggested, although this was not statistically significant. Numbers of cases were too small for detailed analyses of associations between disease and specific exposures.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Social class mortality differences in Maori and non-Maori men aged 15-64 during the last two decades.

AIMS: This investigation uses data from 1996-97 to update previous studies of social class mortality differences in Maori and non-Maori New Zealand men aged 15-64 years. METHODS: Numerator data were obtained from the national death registrations and denominator data were from the 1976, 1986 and 1996 censi. For each social class, age standardised death rates in Maori and non-Maori men were calculated for amenable, non-amenable and all causes of mortality. RESULTS: Maori male mortality was significantly higher than non-Maori mortality in each social class and for the total population for amenable (overall RR = 5.3(CI = 4.0-6.9)), non-amenable (overall RR = 2.4(2.2-2.6)) and all causes of mortality (overall RR = 2.4(2.3-2.6)). The social class mortality differences within Maori (relative index of inequality was 3.3) were markedly greater than non-Maori class differences (RII = 1.5). CONCLUSIONS: The persistently high Maori mortality rates, when controlled for social class, indicate that the poor state of Maori health cannot be explained solely by relative socioeconomic disadvantage. The high Maori rate of potentially preventable deaths indicates that the health sector is still not meeting the serious health needs of many Maori. The social class mortality gradient within Maori underlines the need to address disparities within Maori.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Socio-economic factors and mortality among 25-64 year olds followed from 1991 to 1994: the New Zealand Census-Mortality Study.

AIM: To measure the association of income, education, occupational class, small area socio-economic deprivation, car access and labour force status with mortality among 25-64 year old males and females using the 1991 census-cohort of the New Zealand Census-Mortality Study. METHODS: Mortality records for 1991-94 were anonymously and probabilistically linked to 1991 census records, thereby creating a cohort study of all New Zealand census respondents. Odds ratios of mortality comparing categories of each socio-economic factor were calculated using logistic regression. For income, education and deprivation (NZDep91) a modified relative index of inequality (RII(10:90)) was calculated. The RII(10:90) estimates the relative risk of mortality for low socio-economic people (10th percentile rank) compared to high socio-economic people (90 percentile rank) allowing direct comparisons across socio-economic factors. RESULTS: The relative risk of all-cause mortality for 25-64 year old males with an equivalised household income less than $20,000, compared to greater than $50,000, was 2.16 (95% confidence interval 1.99 to 2.34). For females, this relative risk was 1.68 (1.52 to 1.86). Using the RII(10:90) all-cause mortality was 2.22, 1.94 and 1.58 times greater among low compared to high socio-economic males for income, NZDep91 and education, respectively. For females, these RII(10:90) estimates were 1.77, 1.69 and 1.57, respectively. By cause of death, the strongest gradients were observed for respiratory diseases, followed by lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and unintentional injury. For suicide deaths, unemployed males and females had 2.70 (1.84 to 3.95) and 2.86 (1.19 to 6.85) greater rates than the employed. CONCLUSIONS: There are strong socio-economic gradients for all-cause mortality and most specific causes of mortality among both males and female adults in New Zealand, regardless of the choice of socio-economic factor. The gradients were strongest for income, followed by small area deprivation and education, and strongest for 'preventable' causes of death.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Exposure to asbestos and lung and pleural cancer mortality among pulp and paper industry workers.

We studied the mortality from lung and pleural cancers in a cohort of 62,937 male workers employed for at least 1 year in the pulp and paper industry in 13 countries during 1945 to 1996. Mill departments were classified according to probability and level of exposure to asbestos on the basis of available dust measurements and mill-specific information on exposure circumstances. Thirty-six percent of workers were classified as ever exposed to asbestos. Standardized mortality ratios of lung cancer were 0.99 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.90 to 1.08) among unexposed and 1.00 (95% CI, 0.90 to 1.11) among ever exposed workers. The number of pleural cancer deaths among unexposed workers was 10; that among exposed workers was 14, most of which occurred among maintenance workers. In internal analyses, a trend in mortality from either neoplasm was suggested for estimated cumulative exposure to asbestos, weighted for the individual probability of exposure within the department and for duration of exposure (relative risk for lung cancer for 0.78+ f/cc-years, as compared with < or = 0.01 f/cc-years: 1.44; 95% CI, 0.85 to 2.45; corresponding relative risk for pleural cancer: 2.43; 95% CI, 0.43 to 13.63). Despite a possible nondifferential misclassification of exposure and outcome, this study suggests that the carcinogenic effect of asbestos can be detected among workers employed in industries such as the pulp and paper industry, in which it is not considered to be a major hazard.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed2002

Persistent social class mortality differences in New Zealand men aged 15-64: an analysis of mortality during 1995-97.

OBJECTIVE: Social class mortality differences in New Zealand men aged 15-64 years have previously been examined for the periods 1975-77 and 1985-87 using the Elley-Irving social class scale. The objective was to repeat these analyses for 1995-97 in order to examine time trends, and to assess current social class patterns of mortality. METHODS: Age-standardised mortality rates were calculated for each social class and a weighted estimate of the social class mortality gradient was obtained. RESULTS: Male mortality declined 21% between 1985-87 and 1995-97, but the social class mortality differences have not diminished and may have even increased. The Relative Index of Inequality has increased from 1.8 in 1975-77 to 2.1 in 1985-87 and 2.3 in 1995-97. Unlike previous analyses, the relative social class mortality gradient was just as strong in the older age groups as in the younger age groups, indicating that the possible increase in social class gradient has largely occurred in the older age groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that the potential to address the excess preventable mortality caused by socio-economic factors has not been fully realised in New Zealand. IMPLICATIONS: Social class analyses identify groups in the community that have an excess mortality that is potentially preventable. There are still major social class differences in mortality in New Zealand, and these differences may even have increased. It is important that these patterns are taken into account in public health planning and that further research is conducted to identify the mechanisms by which these differences occur.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Mortality from lung cancer in workers exposed to sulfur dioxide in the pulp and paper industry.

Our objective in this study was to evaluate the mortality of workers exposed to sulfur dioxide in the pulp and paper industry. The cohort included 57,613 workers employed for at least 1 year in the pulp and paper industry in 12 countries. We assessed exposure to SO(2) at the level of mill and department, using industrial hygiene measurement data and information from company questionnaires; 40,704 workers were classified as exposed to SO(2). We conducted a standardized mortality ratio (SMR) analysis based on age-specific and calendar period-specific national mortality rates. We also conducted a Poisson regression analysis to determine the dose-response relations between SO(2) exposure and cancer mortality risks and to explore the effect of potential confounding factors. The SMR analysis showed a moderate deficit of all causes of death [SMR = 0.89; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.87-0.96] among exposed workers. Lung cancer mortality was marginally increased among exposed workers (SMR = 1.08; 95% CI, 0.98-1.18). After adjustment for occupational coexposures, the lung cancer risk was increased compared with unexposed workers (rate ratio = 1.49; 95% CI, 1.14-1.96). There was a suggestion of a positive relationship between weighted cumulative SO(2) exposure and lung cancer mortality (p-value of test for linear trend = 0.009 among all exposed workers; p = 0.3 among workers with high exposure). Neither duration of exposure nor time since first exposure was associated with lung cancer mortality. Mortality from non-Hodgkin lymphoma and from leukemia was increased among workers with high SO(2) exposure; a dose-response relationship with cumulative SO(2) exposure was suggested for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. For the other causes of death, there was no evidence of increased mortality associated with exposure to SO(2). Although residual confounding may have occurred, our results suggest that occupational exposure to SO(2) in the pulp and paper industry may be associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1997

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Biomedical Research↗