Mortality and Life Expectancy of Fire Fighters in Hamburg, Germany
Author Information
Author(s): Norbert L Wagner, Jürgen Berger, Dieter Flesch-Janys, Peter Koch, Anja Köchel, Michel Peschke, Trude Ossenbach
Primary Institution: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute
Hypothesis
Does the healthy worker effect mask adverse health effects in professional fire fighters?
Conclusion
Fire fighters in Hamburg have a lower mortality rate compared to the general population, but early retirement and job tasks negatively influence their mortality.
Supporting Evidence
- The cohort consisted of 4640 fire fighters accumulating 111796 person years.
- Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) for the total cohort was 0.79 compared to Hamburg reference data.
- Conditional life expectancy of a 30 year old fire fighter was 45.3 years compared to 42.9 years for a German male.
Takeaway
Fire fighters in Hamburg live longer than most people, but those who retire early or have certain jobs may not be as lucky.
Methodology
A historic cohort study assessed mortality and life expectancy using personnel records and compared fire fighters' mortality to the general population.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the healthy worker effect and lack of a control group.
Limitations
The study could not collect detailed exposure history or causes of death.
Participant Demographics
The cohort consisted of male fire fighters active between 1950 and 2000.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.78
Confidence Interval
95% CI, 0.74–0.84
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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