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A comprehensive surveillance system for occupational injuries to adolescents does not exist in Texas, as in most states. Therefore, the magnitude, severity, nature, and source of injuries to working adolescents have not been well described in Texas. The investigators used three data sources to investigate work-related injuries and deaths in Texas: (1) Texas Workers' Compensation Commission (TWCC) claims data from 1991 through April 1996; (2) 1993 TWCC/Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; and (3) work-related fatalities identified from Texas death certificates from 1990–1995. There were 9,027 injuries reported to the TWCC for adolescents 14–17 years of age during slightly more than 5 years. Injuries for which indemnity payments were made (more than 7 days out of work) occurred among 21.7% of the adolescents. Based on BLS data in 1993, of 992 non-fatal injuries involving days away from work, 35% were caused by contact with objects, 27% by bodily reaction, and 24% by falls. Two-thirds of these injuries occurred while working in eating and drinking places and grocery stores. Three-quarters of the 30 deaths from 1990–1995 were accounted for equally by motor vehicle and homicide. In conclusion, a substantial number of adolescents are injured or killed in the workplace each year in Texas. Although improved population-based surveillance is needed, sufficient knowledge exists to begin prevention efforts now. Am. J. Ind. Med. 35:43–50, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Several epidemiologic studies indicate that some paternal occupations are associated with an increased risk of birth defects in offspring. We evaluated this relation using data from a population-based case-control study. Cases are infants with a major birth defect registered with the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Detects Program between 1968 and 1980. We selected controls from livebirths in the Atlanta area using frequency matching for race, year, and hospital of birth. Case and control parents were interviewed to solicit information on several factors, including occupation. We classified paternal occupation according to the job held during the time from 6 months before until 1 month after the estimated date of conception. We compared fathers in one occupational category with fathers in all other categories combined. We identified a number of associations including: firemen with cleft lip [odds ratio (OR) 13.3; 95 confidence interval (CI) 4.0–44.4]; painters with atrial septal defect (OR 2.7; 95 CI 1.0–7.4); and farmers with cleft lip and palate (OR 3.3; 95 CI 0.9–11.9). This study, however, did not corroborate several associations found in previous studies, such as painters and neural tube defects. We identified several additional occupations as potential risk factors for some defects, including printers, electronic equipment operators, and vehicle manufacturers.

Alaska Native women historically have high rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and invasive cervical cancer. Their prevalence of cervical infections with human papillomavirus (HPV) in relation to cervical dysplasia was determined with a commercial dot hybridization test for seven HPV genotypes. Type-specific HPV DNA, similarly distributed between genotype groups 16/18 and 31/33/35, was detected in 234 cervical specimens (21%) from 1126 Alaska Native women seeking routine care and colposcopy or from population-based lists. The prevalence of HPV DNA declined with age and increased with sexual activity and cigarette smoking. It was unrelated to use of oral contraceptives or condoms or to STDs. Relative risks associating HPV with increasing severe grades of cervical dysplasia increased markedly with HPV infection, up to 7.1 for high-risk genotypes 16/18 and 14.4 forcoinfection with 31/33/35. These genotypes were detected in 8% of women without dysplasia seeking routine care. Screening for strain-specific HPV DNA may identify women at highest risk for cervical neoplasia.

Agreement between the mothers and fathers report of the fathers occupation was assessed in a case-control study of paternal occupation and birth defects. Cases were identified from births registered with the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program between 1968 and 1980; controls were selected from livebom infants without defects. Both parents were sought for interview, and each parent was asked about the fathers job history for 2 years prior to the infants birth. This concordance analysis is based on 3,739 case infants and 2,279 control infants for whom both parents were interviewed. The authors considered the fathers report of his occupation as correct, and they assessed the ability of the mother to report the same occupation(s) during a 7-month period around conception. The exact agreement between mothers and fathers report of the fathers occupation was 59%. Agreement improved slightly with increasing family income and when fathers were college graduates. Female partners were not accurate proxy respondents in this study of paternal occupation and birth defects, which suggests that investigators should interview both parents in studies of paternal exposures and reproductive outcomes, i.e., mothers for pregnancy history and maternal confounders and fathers for occupational history and paternal confounders. Am J Epidemiol 1995; 141:872–7.