Mortality Update of a U.S. Cohort of Workers in Petrochemical and Refinery Operations.

Korre, Maria; Gallagher, Elizabeth M; Bach, MacKinsey; Wojcik, Nancy · J Occup Environ Med · 2026

retrospective_cohort · Level III

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Abstract

This study updates mortality trends of over 214,000 men and women working in various petrochemical and refinery operations of a U.S.-based company through December 31, 2020. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for 112 possible causes of death studied. SMRs for malignant mesothelioma are highest among men hired during the 1940s and 1950s. Increased SMRs are observed for Parkinson's disease and brain cancer in some subgroups with no consistent occupational pattern. Decreasing mortality trends observed for asbestosis, leukemias, motor neuron diseases, brain cancer in upstream men and breast cancer among non-white women. Updates of the mortality surveillance of this large established cohort are useful in evaluating the chronic health status of this workforce. Additional follow-up time provides the statistical power to clarify earlier findings.