PREVALANCE OF DIABETES AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN RESIDENTS LIVING NEAR A CREOSOTE WOOD TREATMENT PLANT

摘要

Resident living near wood treatment plants are exposed to pesticides including creosote, pentachlorophenol and copper chromated arsenic. We studied a town with one of the largest creosote wood treating facilities in the US. A questionnaire was administered to 757 exposed and compared to 496 unexposed adults. When diabetes risk is adjusted for exposure, ethnicity, smoking history, sex, age, alcohol use, family income, education level and body mass index (BMI), the impact of exposure gives an odds ratio (OR) of 1.55 (95% CI 1.05-2.28). The results reveal an excess of diabetes in the in overweight (BMI 26-30) African Americans (OR=2.80, 95% CI 1.27-7.58) with a trend in the normal weight group. Cardiovascular disorders were in excess in the residents living near the wood treatment plant, with heart disease (OR=2.27, 95% CI 1.46-3.53), and high blood pressure, 1.42 (95% CI 1.06-1.89) significantly increased. While a significant excess in heart disease was shown in both exposed whites and blacks, an excess in high blood pressure was associated more profoundly in the exposed black population. Residents living closer to the plant seem to experience a more increased risk of adverse health effects.