Labeling of Health Risk in Industrial Settings

In January 1974 a Louisville, Kentucky chemical company announced that a link had been found between angiosarcoma and exposure to vinyl chloride. A program of medical screening identified "at risk" workers, some of whom were reassigned to an alternative work setting, a wood pallet plant. Twenty-four "high risk" pallet plant workers (PP) were matched with an equal number of workers with some abnormal test results (TP) and normal results (TN). Illness behavior in the form of medical visits for reasons of illness and injury was documented from the dispensary medical records. Frequency of dispensary use was compared across groups for each PP worker's first year in the pallet plant and for one year prior to furlough or reassignment.

Findings in relation to illness and injury for the three groups and the two time periods were not significant. Although the results were unexpected and negative, they demonstrate that high-risk workers can be perceived in a derogatory way. Such workers are faced with stigmatization as well as difficulties associated with their uncertain state of health.