Occupational Injury and Illness in the United States
Archives of Internal MedicinePublished 28 July 1997
J. Paul Leigh
Citations508
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
TL;DR
The costs of occupational injuries and illnesses are high, in sharp contrast to the limited public attention and societal resources devoted to their prevention and amelioration and to the total burden of health care costs in the United States.
Abstract
The costs of occupational injuries and illnesses are high, in sharp contrast to the limited public attention and societal resources devoted to their prevention and amelioration. Occupational injuries and illnesses are an insufficiently appreciated contributor to the total burden of health care costs in the United States.
Keywords
Agricultural and Biological SciencesHealth Professions
Choice Reviews OnlineHealthy work: stress, productivity, and the reconstruction of working life
8,294 Citations1990
American Journal of Public HealthThe US economic and social costs of Alzheimer's disease revisited.
594 Citations1994Rebecka Ernst, Joel W. Hay
New national prevalence estimates of the economic and social costs of Alzheimer's disease are presented and the estimated discounted present values of the direct and total costs of all current and future generations of Alzheimer’s patients are $536 billion and $1.75 trillion.
PsycEXTRA DatasetCost of injury in the United States: A report to Congress
491 Citations1989Dorothy P. Rice, Ellen J. MacKenzie +9 more
This report contains the results of the study evaluated the magnitude of the impact of injury on individuals, government programs, and society at large in terms of economic cost and of the effects of Injury on people's lives.
Environmental Health PerspectivesAtmospheric chemistry of gas-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: formation of atmospheric mutagens.
458 Citations1994Roger Atkinson, Janet Arey
These atmospheric reactions have a significant effect on ambient mutagenic activity, indicating that health risk assessments of combustion emissions should include atmospheric transformation products.
Choice Reviews OnlineSucceeding generations: on the effects of investments in children
451 Citations1994
Arthritis & RheumatismSpecial article the economic cost and social and psychological impact of musculoskeletal conditions
428 Citations1995Edward H. Yelin, Leigh F. Callahan +1 more
The economic and social costs of musculoskeletal conditions are substantial; these conditions are responsible for a sizable amount of health care use and disability, and they significantly affect the psychological status of the individuals with the conditions as well as their families.
PubMedThe economic costs of illness: a replication and update.
418 Citations1985Dorothy P. Rice, Thomas A. Hodgson +1 more
The economic burden resulting from illness, disability, and premature death is of major importance in the allocation of health care resources and in the evaluation of health research and programs.
Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & HealthClues to cancer etiology from studies of farmers.
369 Citations1992Aaron Blair, Shelia Hoar Zahm +3 more
Several of the tumors excessive among farmers appear to be rising in the general population and are excessive among patients with naturally occurring or medically induced immunodeficiencies and may help explain the rising trend of certain cancers in developed countries.
Journal of Labor EconomicsJob Matching and On-the-Job Training
330 Citations1989John M. Barron, Dan A. Black +1 more
American Review of Respiratory DiseaseOccupational Dust Exposure and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Overview of the Evidence
305 Citations1993Andrew D Oxman, D. C. F. Muir +4 more
It is concluded that occupational dust is an important cause of COPD, and the risk appears to be greater for gold miners than for coal miners, one possible explanation of the greater risk among gold miners is the higher silica content in gold mine dust.
Industrial and Labor Relations ReviewManaging Work Disability: Why First Return to Work is Not a Measure of Success
183 Citations1995Richard Butler, William G. Johnson +1 more
DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library)Closing the gap : the burden of unnecessary illness
182 Citations1987Robert W. Amler, H. Bruce Dull
JNCI Journal of the National Cancer InstituteOccupational Risks of Bladder Cancer in the United States: II. Nonwhite Men
178 Citations1989Debra T. Silverman, L. I. Levin +1 more
The findings suggest that the risk of occupational bladder cancer among white and nonwhite men is similar, and when inconsistencies between whites and nonwhites did occur, they appeared either due to chance or possibly racial differences in exposure among men within the same industry and occupation.
American Review of Respiratory DiseaseOccupational Exposures and Chronic Respiratory Symptoms: A Population-Based Study
171 Citations1987Roy J. Korn, Douglas W. Dockery +3 more
Data from a random sample of 8,515 white adults residing in 6 cities in the eastern and midwestern United States demonstrate that chronic respiratory symptoms and disease can be independently associated with occupational exposures.
PubMedCigarette smoking prevalence by occupation in the United States. A comparison between 1978 to 1980 and 1987 to 1990.
171 Citations1994David E. Nelson, Seth L. Emont +4 more
Since 1978 to 1980, the differences in smoking prevalence by occupation have widened, providing further evidence that smoking has moved from a relatively common behavior practiced by most segment of society to one that has become more concentrated among selected subpopulations.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental MedicineSmoking Characteristics by Type of Employment
169 Citations1976Theodor D. Sterling, James J. Weinkam
Prevalence of smoking almost uniformly is highest among blue collar occupations and lowest among professionals, managers, and proprietors.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental MedicineThe Cost of Compensable Low Back Pain
145 Citations1990Barbara S. Webster, Stover H. Snook
Cost data were retrieved from all claims of low back pain initiated during 1986 from computerized records of the Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and large variations were found to exist among different states.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental MedicineOccupational Electric and Magnetic Field Exposure and Brain Cancer
134 Citations1995Leeka Kheifets, Abdelmonem A. Afifi +2 more
A meta-analysis of the association between central nervous system cancer and occupational exposure to electric and magnetic fields found considerable heterogeneity among the results.
JNCI Journal of the National Cancer InstituteExcess Number of Bladder Cancers in Workers Exposed to Ortho-Toluidine and Aniline
131 Citations1991Elizabeth M. Ward, Andrew J. Carpenter +3 more
A retrospective cohort study of the incidence of bladder cancer among workers at a chemical plant in western New York State found it is more likely that o-toluidine is responsible for the observed excess number of cases, although aniline may have played a role.
Accident Analysis & PreventionEstimating the costs of occupational injury in the United States
117 Citations1995Ted R. Miller, Maury Galbraith
Overall, workplace injuries cost the U.S. an estimated $140 billion annually, which includes $17 billion in medical and emergency services, $60 billions in lost productivity, $5 billion in insurance costs, and $62 billion in lost quality of life.
American Journal of Industrial MedicineSmoking habits of 800,000 American men and women in relation to their occupations
112 Citations1988S. D. Stellman, Paolo Boffetta +1 more
Smoking rates were significantly higher in groups exposed to a number of occupational hazards, compared to groups not so exposed, and some individual occupations exhibit notably high (law enforcement) or low (clergy) smoking rates.
American Journal of Industrial MedicineEpidemiologic studies of cancer in agricultural workers
109 Citations1990Neil Pearce, John S. Reif
The factors responsible for the increased risks for cancers other than hematologic malignancies are not well understood but may also involve exposure to chemicals or viruses.
American Review of Respiratory DiseaseExposure—Response Relationships between Occupational Exposures and Chronic Respiratory Illness: A Community-based Study
107 Citations1992Xiping Xu, David C. Christiani +2 more
There was an increasing prevalence of each symptom with increasing dust and fume exposure, represented by the index of cumulative exposure duration and exposure intensity, and linear trends for increased prevalence of chronic bronchitis and breathlessness were significant for both exposures.
Occupational and Environmental MedicineLung cancer and occupation: results of a multicentre case-control study.
106 Citations1992Alfredo Morabia, Steven Markowitz +2 more
It is concluded that occupational factors play an important part in the development of lung cancer independently of cigarette smoking.
American Review of Respiratory DiseaseRespiratory Effects of Occupational Exposure in a General Population Sample in North Italy
101 Citations1991Giovanni Viegi, Renato Prediletto +7 more
The findings confirm those of the other few epidemiologic surveys in general population samples and contribute to the suggestion of a causal association between occupational exposure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
International Journal of EpidemiologyThe Relation of Respiratory Symptoms and Ventilatory Function to Moderate Occupational Exposure in a General Population
99 Citations1988Michał Krzyżanowski, F. Kauffmann
Results suggest that occupational exposures of relatively low intensity, encountered in the non-industrial work places may constitute a non-negligible risk for respiratory health.
Occupational and Environmental MedicineMortality among firefighters from three northwestern United States cities.
99 Citations1992Paul A Demers, N J Heyer +1 more
To explore whether exposure among firefighters to fire smoke could lead to an increased risk of cancer, lung disease, and heart disease, the mortality of firefighters who were employed by the cities of Seattle and Tacoma, WA and Portland, OR for at least one year were compared with United States national mortalities and with mortality of police officers from the same cities.
Permanent Disability Benefits in Workers' Compensation
89 Citations1987Monroe Berkowitz, John Burton
Environmental ResearchOccupational exposures in relation to symptomatology and lung function in a community population
88 Citations1977Michael D. Lebowitz
There is benefit to studying those in the general population who have such occupational exposure beyond that achieved by studying a working occupational group in a plant setting.
American Journal of Industrial MedicineAn industry‐wide epidemiologic study of vinyl chloride workers, 1942–1982
87 Citations1991Otto Wong, M. Donald Whorton +2 more
The cohort consisted of 10,173 men who had worked for at least one year in jobs involving exposure to vinyl chloride prior to 1 January 1973, and confirmed that the vinyl chloride workers experience a significant mortality excesses in angiosarcoma, liver and biliary tract cancers, and cancer of the brain and other central nervous system.
International Journal of CancerProportion of lung cancers in males, due to occupation, in different areas of the USA
86 Citations1988Paolo Vineis, Terry Thomas +7 more
Occupational data from 5 case‐control studies in the United States involving 2,973 male cases and 3,210 controls were analyzed to estimate the percentage of lung cancer attributable to well‐known and suspected lung carcinogens.
Journal of Risk and UncertaintyIncreasing claims for soft tissue injuries in workers' compensation: Cost shifting and moral hazard
85 Citations1996Richard Butler, David L. Durbin +1 more
Using a new data source and estimation framework, evidence is found that moral hazard response explains most of the 30% increase in the proportion of soft tissue injuries during the 1980s.
Risk AnalysisPoorer Is Riskier
77 Citations1992John D. Graham, Bei‐Hung Chang +1 more
A regression analysis of time-series mortality data for the period of 1950-1988 indicated that the total mortality rate is negatively associated with permanent income and positively associated with the transitory income.
PubMedForecasts of the costs of medical care for persons with HIV: 1992-1995.
77 Citations1992F J Hellinger
The cumulative (national) cost of treating all persons with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) rose considerably over the past year and will continue to rise over the next several years.
JNCI Journal of the National Cancer InstituteOccupation and Lung Cancer Risk Among New Jersey White Males<xref ref-type="fn" rid="FN2">2</xref>
75 Citations1987Janet B. Schoenberg, Annette Stemhagen +4 more
The association of occupation with lung cancer risk was examined in a case-control study conducted in six areas of New Jersey and found the excess risk was primarily among those with reported exposure to asbestos, but the risk was also high among welders, burners, sheet metal workers, and boilermakers with no reported asbestos exposure.
American Journal of Industrial MedicineMortality of a municipal‐worker cohort: IV. Fire fighters
74 Citations1987John E. Vena, Roger C. Fiedler
Cancer mortality was significantly higher in the long-term fire fighters, and risk of mortality from all malignant neoplasms tended to increase with increasing latency.
Occupational and Environmental MedicineOccupational risk factors of lung cancer in a French case-control study.
72 Citations1988Simone Benhamou, E Benhamou +1 more
An excess risk of lung cancer was observed for the following occupations after adjustment for cigarette exposure: farmers, miners and quarrymen, plumbers and pipe fitters, motor vehicle drivers, and farmers and farmers.
International Journal of CancerProportion of lung cancers due to occupational exposure
72 Citations1984Ugo Pastorino, Franco Berrino +4 more
The proportions of male lung cancers due to occupational exposure and, respectively, to cigarette smoking in a highly industrialized area of Northern Italy were estimated in a population‐based case‐control study in 1976–9.
Cancer Causes & ControlCancer incidence among firefighters in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington (United States)
70 Citations1994Paul A. Demers, Harvey Checkoway +4 more
The presence of carcinogens in the firefighting environment warrants periodic re-evaluation of cancer incidence in this population and the continued use of protective equipment.
JNCI Journal of the National Cancer InstituteLung Cancer and Occupation in New Mexico<xref ref-type="fn" rid="FN1">2</xref>
69 Citations1987Mary L. Lerchen, Charles L. Wiggins +1 more
For females, lung cancer risk was not associated with employment history, but power was limited, and the population attributable risk in males was estimated as 14% for employment in any high-risk industry or occupation with an OR above 1 in this study.
Occupational and Environmental MedicineOccupation and male lung cancer: a case-control study in northern Sweden.
68 Citations1987Lena Damber, Lars‐Gunnar Larsson
Using a case-control study comprising about 600 men with lung cancer in northern Sweden the potential risk of different occupations and groups of occupations was studied and some occupational groups exposed to previously known lung carcinogenic agents had considerably increased odds ratios.
American Journal of Industrial MedicineLung cancer and occupation in Alameda County: A death certificate case‐control study
67 Citations1983Karen L. Milne, Dale P. Sandler +2 more
Age-adjusted, sex-specific analyses indicated that a history of work in certain industries and occupations was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.
International Journal of CancerOccupation and lung cancer in two industrialized areas of northern Italy
65 Citations1988Guglielmo Ronco, Giovannino Ciccone +2 more
A population‐based case‐control study on lung cancer was conducted in 2 industrialized areas of northern Italy, finding that welders or workers in industries in which welding is common showed elevated odds ratios and smoking did not seem to exert a substantial confounding effect.
Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & HealthA case-referent study of lung cancer, occupational exposures and smoking. II. Role of asbestos exposure.
65 Citations1986Helge Kjuus, Rolv Skjærven +3 more
The results suggest that the observed association between lung cancer and occupational exposures in this study was, to a large extent, due to asbestos exposure.
American Journal of Industrial MedicineEstimates of the extent of morbidity and mortality due to occupational diseases in Canada
64 Citations1994Allen Kraut
Comparing and contrasting four different data sources found occupational diseases are a significant and under-estimated cause of morbidity and mortality in Canada.
Occupational and Environmental MedicineOccupation and lung cancer in Shanghai: a case-control study.
60 Citations1988Lynn I. Levin, Wei Zheng +3 more
Although cigarette smoking was the dominant cause of lung cancer among men and a significant risk factor among women in Shanghai, the importance of certain workplace exposures and offer leads to occupational carcinogens are suggested.
Journal of Health EconomicsMedical costs in workers' compensation insurance
56 Citations1995Laurence C. Baker, Alan B. Krueger
Patients covered by workers' compensation insurance are found to be charged more for treatment or receive more services than patients covered by traditional insurance, and it is argued that price discrimination probably plays a role.
PubMedWorkers' compensation: coverage, benefits, and costs, 1990-91.
56 Citations1993W J Nelson
Over the past decade, workers' compensation benefits have increased by 157 percent and employer costs by 143 percent, and the number of covered employees has risen 22 percent and the amount of covered wage and salary payroll, 77 percent.
Journal of Forensic EconomicsWhich Estimates of Household Production are Best?
45 Citations1990John B. Douglass, Genevieve M. Kenney +1 more
Annals of the New York Academy of SciencesCurrent Magnitude of Occupational Disease in the United States
43 Citations1989Philip J. Landrigan, Steven Markowitz
The data from this study indicate that the magnitude of occupational disease in New York State is considerable, and that a detailed and comprehensive plan must be initiated and implemented if occupational disease is to be controlled.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental MedicineFatal Injuries at Work in California
43 Citations1991James E. Cone, Antonio Daponte +5 more
Demographic patterns suggest that fatal injuries on the job are nonrandom events, which may be prevented by additions to existing standards or increased enforcement of workplace safety standards and by efforts to target groups at highest risk.
Annual Review of Public HealthAlternatives to Using Human Experience in Assessing Health Risks
41 Citations1987David P. Rall, Malcolm Hogan +3 more
In some instances an agent may have been present in the human environment long enough for its toxicologic effects to be apparent, but lack of adequate historical exposure data on individuals whose initial exposures occurred one may mean that there will not yet be sufficient human experience with the agent to determine its full toxicologic potential.
American Journal of Industrial MedicineOccupational disease in new york state: A comprehensive examination
40 Citations1989Steven Markowitz, Ellen P. Fischer +3 more
Recommendations are described to improve the recognition of occupational disease in New York State and to reduce the burden of this disease.
American Journal of Industrial MedicineCurrent methods of estimating severity for occupational injuries and illnesses: Data from the 1986 Michigan comprehensive compensable injury and illness database
40 Citations1993Arthur Oleinick, Kenneth E. Guire +5 more
The Michigan data suggest that the national Survey may have failed to identify almost 373 million of 421 million missed work days in the private sector that have resulted, or will result, from 1986 occupational injuries.
Journal of Risk & InsuranceCauses of Death in the Workplace
36 Citations1996Steve Revenson, James Leigh
This paper presents national Estimates and Causes of 5,498 Job-Related Deaths in 1979-81, 1983, 1985, 1986, and concludes with a ranking of Industries with Five or More Deaths.
Archives of Environmental Health An International JournalThe Work-Relatedness of Renal Disease
34 Citations1984Philip J. Landrigaim, Robert A. Goyer +5 more
American Journal of Industrial MedicineHealth costs of occupational disease in New York state
34 Citations1989Marianne C. Fahs, Steven Markowitz +3 more
American Journal of Public HealthCumulative trauma disorders of the hand and wrist in the auto industry.
31 Citations1992N Nelson, R M Park +2 more
Results indicated that hand and wrist disorders may be more common in foundries than in other types of automotive plants, and in assembly plants, employees in certain departments appeared to be at higher risk for CTDs.
Regulatory Toxicology and PharmacologyReevaluating the carcinogenicity of ortho-toluidine: A new conclusion and its implications
26 Citations1992Christopher Sellers, Steven Markowitz
Animal studies of both ortho-toluidine and its possible confounders in these epidemiological investigations further confirm the hypothesis that ortho/tolUIDine is a human bladder carcinogen.
Environmental Health PerspectivesEnvironmental neurotoxic illness: research for prevention.
22 Citations1994Philip J. Landrigan, D. G. Graham +1 more
Research and researchers must become more sophisticated in the development and application of refined biologic markers so the findings can be used to detect absorption of toxicants and early neurological or neurobehavioral dysfunction before disability occurs and to protect human health and the environment.
American Journal of Public HealthThe accuracy of industry data from death certificates for workplace homicide victims.
21 Citations1988H Davis
This study compared death certificate data on usual industry for workplace homicide victims in five urban Texas counties with medical examiners' data on the industries where victims were working when injured to find out the positive predictive value of the data.
Journal of Safety ResearchInjuries to workers and their dependents
20 Citations1995Ted R. Miller
Total workplace injuries by severity, as well as worker injuries outside of work were estimated, to compare its injury, injury crash, and overall crash rates with national norms to assess its highway safety record.
Journal of Health EconomicsMedical costs in workers' compensation insurance: comment
17 Citations1997J. Paul Leigh, Michael M. Ward
The contention that physicians willfully exploit the workers' compensation system for their own gain is questioned.
The Journal of Economic PerspectivesIssues Every Plan to Reform Health Care Financing Must Confront
13 Citations1994Henry J. Aaron
The paper shows that redistribution among industries could require significant transitional adjustments, and calls for combining individual mandates with employer mandates, which have long-term advantages but which have short-run pluses.
PubMedCosts of occupational injury and illness in Pennsylvania.
12 Citations1991David Neumark, Raymond W. Johnson +4 more
A variety of state and federal data sources are used to estimate two critical components of the annual economic costs of occupational injuries and illnesses in Pennsylvania: foregone earnings of affected workers and medical costs.
Journal of Occupational AccidentsWork-related fatal injuries in older California workers, 1979–1985
10 Citations1990Jess F. Kraus, Judith Macurda +2 more
Journal of Occupational and Environmental MedicineUse of Employer Illness Reports for Occupational Disease Surveillance among Public Employees in New Jersey
9 Citations1993L Roche
The New Jersey Department of Health Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health (PEOSH) Program reviewed public employers' "Annual Occupational Injuries and Illness Summary" and "First Report of Accidental Illness or Injury" to determine their usefulness for occupational disease surveillance.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental MedicinePublic and Private Workers' Compensation Insurance
8 Citations1997James Leigh, Jared Bernstein
It is found that public firms appear to provide workers' compensation insurance more efficiently than private firms.
…