Dow Claims Low Worker Mortality

Dow Chemical has completed a study claiming that its U.S. employees have low mortality rates compared with national rates. The study involved employee records and death certificates of former employees at 25 U.S. sites between 1960 and 2005. The two leading causes of death among the 114,683 men and women studied were heart disease and cancer, the firm says. The study found 20% fewer heart disease cases and 10% fewer cancer deaths than would be expected on the basis of U.S. statistics, according to Dow. The study has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine.