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2972241 
Journal Article 
Health Effects on Workers in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Review 
Teichman, RF; Fallon LF Jr; Brandt-Rauf, PW 
1988 
1 
Journal of the Society of Occupational Medicine
ISSN: 0301-0023 
NIOSH/00182989 
38 
3 
55-57 
Studies on the health of pharmaceutical industry (SIC-2834) workers were reviewed. One study of mortality in 826 workers found increased mortality ratios for cancer and suicide. The men had elevated rates of cancer of the colon, central nervous system, and kidney; women had elevated rates of breast cancer. Male maintenance workers had elevated respiratory cancer rates, as did female production workers. The latter also had increased leukemia rates, and male production workers had increased rates of melanoma. Another study found no significant increase in cancer related mortality. One study of women in the pharmaceutical industry found an increase in spontaneous abortion, but this was not statistically significant. The increase corresponded to exposure to methylene-chloride (75092), benzene (71432), and estrogens. Spontaneous abortion increased with exposure to methylene-chloride and toluene (68224). A study of workers in an oral contraceptives factory exposed to mestranol (72333) and norethindrone (68224) found 55 workers with hyperestrogenism. Twelve of the 24 female production workers had intermenstrual bleeding. Some workers exposed to synthetic glucocorticoids exhibited adrenocorticosteroid suppression. Some factories introduced respiratory protection and increased monitoring of workers, including a tetracosactrin test for steroid exposed workers. Bronchial hypersensitivity was found in 14 workers exposed to porcine pancreatic dust, six workers exposed to antibiotics, and 24 workers exposed to cimetidine (51481619). Other respiratory symptoms were dyspnea, bronchial asthma, and rhinitis. The authors conclude that it is difficult to evaluate causes of morbidity in pharmaceutical workers because manufacturing processes and additives differ between factories and exposures are to multiple chemicals