Non-manual Workers Research Articles

Meaning of Work in Dalit Autobiographies

There have been varying perceptions of manual labour in different societies, cultures and thought systems. However, in most pre-modern stratified societies, manual work was considered demeaning. In pre-colonial India, despite various dissenting traditions and protest movements, the dominant ideology continued to privilege non-manual work while degrading manual labour. Thus, the Dalits, most of whom were poor manual workers, remained at the receiving end of this ideology. The colonial regime, owing to its peculiar inherent contradictions, created a dual labour regime for the Dalits whereby their subjection was further strengthened in the rural areas while they experienced some measure of freedom in the cities. The consequent contradictory experiences gave impetus to Dalit movements which sharply attacked the caste system. The Dalit autobiographies emerged in the post-independence period as the most important component of Dalit literature which was a product of the Dalit movement. This article endeavours to analyze some of these texts for their explicit and underlying ideas and notions about work.

Occupational Class and Incidence Rates of Cardiovascular Events in Middle Aged Men in Japan

We investigated whether occupational class affects the incidence of cardiovascular events in Japanese factory workers. We prospectively evaluated 1,794 male workers aged 40-59, including 632 non-manual and 1,162 manual workers, employed in a metal products factory in Japan. The hazard ratios of stroke, myocardial infarction (MI) and cardiovascular events (combined stroke, MI and sudden cardiac death) for manual workers were compared with non-manual workers as estimated by the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Among the 1,794 workers, there were 60 cardiovascular events (32 cases of stroke, 23 cases of MI and 5 cases of sudden cardiac death) with an incidence rate of 3.14 per 1,000 person-years for cardiovascular events; 1.68 for stroke and 1.20 for MI. Blood pressure and HbA1c significantly increased the risk of stroke. Body mass index and total cholesterol significantly increased the risk of MI. However, occupational class was determined not to be a risk factor for cardiovascular events. The hazard ratios of stroke, MI and cardiovascular events for manual workers compared with non-manual workers were 0.97 (95%CI, 0.45-2.08), 0.73 (95%CI, 0.30-1.79) and 0.92 (95%CI, 0.53-1.61), respectively. Our study did not reveal significant occupational class inequalities in the rate of cardiovascular events. These findings are not in accordance with studies from other industrialized countries.

Socioeconomic Status and Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction. Population-Based Case-Control Study

Socioeconomic status is associated with cardiovascular mortality. The aims of this study were to investigate the association between socioeconomic status and its various indicators and the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and to determine whether any association found is independent of the presence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs). Study cases were matched with controls by age, sex and year of recruitment. Cases were recruited from a hospital register and controls from cross-sectional studies of the general population. The socioeconomic status was determined from educational level and social class, as indicated by occupation. Self-reported data were collected on the presence of CVRFs. The study included 1369 cases and controls. Both educational level and social class influenced AMI risk. Among non-manual workers, there was an inverse linear relationship between educational level and AMI risk independent of CVRFs: compared with university educated individuals, the odds ratio (OR) for an AMI among those with a high school education was 1.63 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-2.3), and among those with an elementary school education, 3.88 (95% CI, 2.79-5.39). No association between educational level and AMI risk was observed in manual workers. However, the AMI risk was higher in manual workers than non-manual university educated workers: in those with an elementary school education, the increased risk (OR=2.09; 95% CI, 1.59-2.75) was independent of CVRFs. An association was found between socioeconomic status and AMI risk. The AMI risk was greatest in individuals with only an elementary school education, irrespective of CVRFs and social class, as indicated by occupation.

Metabolic syndrome: an occupational perspective.

Objective:To study the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MS) in an Indian industrial setup and to study disparity in occurrence of MS in a working population based on occupational status.Materials and Methods:Cross-sectional study of 651 employees who underwent periodic medical examination. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition of MS and International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO)-88 classification of occupations were used.Results:The overall crude prevalence of MS was found to be 18.5%. Nineteen percent of the non-manual workers and 18.3% of the manual workers suffered from MS. The single largest occupational category with MS was ISCO-88 group 1, which included the managers and senior officials. However, no difference was found among the manual and non-manual workers in prevalence of MS.

Enthesopathies as occupational stress markers: Evidence from the upper limb

Enthesopathies--that is, "musculo-skeletal stress markers"--are frequently used to reconstruct past lifestyles and activity patterns. Relatively little attention has been paid in physical anthropology to methodological gaps implicit in this approach: almost all methods previously employed neglect current medical insights into enthesopathies and the distinction between healthy and pathological aspects has been arbitrary. This study presents a new visual method of studying fibrocartilaginous enthesopathies of the upper limb (modified from Villotte: Bull Mém Soc Anthropol Paris n.s. 18 (2006) 65-85), and application of this method to 367 males who died between the 18th and 20th centuries, from four European identified skeletal collections: the Christ Church Spitalfields Collection, the identified skeletal collection of the anthropological museum of the University of Coimbra, and the Sassari and Bologna collections of the museum of Anthropology, University of Bologna. The analysis, using generalized estimating equations to model repeated binary outcome variables, has established a strong link between enthesopathies and physical activity: men with occupations involving heavy manual tasks have significantly (P-value < 0.001) more lesions of the upper limbs than nonmanual and light manual workers. Probability of the presence of an enthesopathy also increases with age and is higher for the right side compared with the left. Our study failed to distinguish significant differences between the collections when adjusted for the other effects. It appears that enthesopathies can be used to reconstruct past lifestyles of populations if physical anthropologists: 1) pay attention to the choice of entheses in their studies and 2) use appropriate methods.

Occupational position and its relation to mental distress in a random sample of Danish residents

To analyze the distribution of depressive, anxiety, and somatization symptoms across different occupational positions in a random sample of Danish residents. The study sample consisted of 591 Danish residents (50% women), aged 20-65, drawn from an age- and gender-stratified random sample of the Danish population. Participants filled out a survey that included the 92 item version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-92). We categorized occupational position into seven groups: high- and low-grade non-manual workers, skilled and unskilled manual workers, high- and low-grade self-employed, and unemployed. Compared to the reference group of high-grade non-manual workers, the depressive symptom score was statistically significantly elevated among unskilled manual workers (P = 0.043) and the unemployed (P < 0.001), after adjustment for age, gender, cohabitation, life events, and low household income. The anxiety symptom score was elevated only among the unemployed (P = 0.004). The somatization symptom score was elevated among unskilled manual workers (P = 0.002), the low-grade self-employed (P = 0.023), and the unemployed (P = 0.001). When we analyzed caseness of severe symptoms, we found that unskilled manual workers (OR = 3.27, 95% CI = 1.06-10.04) and the unemployed (OR = 6.20, 95% CI = 1.98-19.42) had a higher prevalence of severe depressive symptoms, compared to the reference group of high-grade non-manual workers. The unemployed also had a higher prevalence of severe somatization symptoms (OR = 6.28, 95% CI = 1.39-28.46). Unskilled manual workers, the unemployed, and, to a lesser extent, the low-grade self-employed showed an increased level of mental distress. Activities to promote mental health in the Danish population should be directed toward these groups.

Enthesopathy formation in the humerus: Data from known age‐at‐death and known occupation skeletal collections

Enthesopathies, in the guise of musculoskeletal skeletal stress markers (MSM), have been widely used to reconstruct activity levels in human skeletal populations. In general, studies have focused on their presence in the upper limb, which is used in the majority of daily activities. The aim of this study was to use some of the attachment sites on the humerus to explore the relationship between enthesopathy formation, activity, and the ageing process. The skeletal sample used in this study comprised male adult skeletons with known age-at-death and known occupations from the late-19th and early-20th century cemeteries in Portugal. The enthesopathies were recorded as either present or absent. Statistical analysis using Fishers exact tests and logistic regression was undertaken to determine whether associations could be found between specific activities or socioeconomic status (manual or nonmanual workers), and age and enthesopathy presence. Left and right sides were analyzed separately. Fisher's exact tests were used to determine the relationship between activity and enthesopathy, and they demonstrated no association between activity and enthesopathies (P > 0.01). The results of the logistic regression established that age was the single most significant factor in enthesopathy formation (P > 0.05). This study found that, in these samples, age-at-death, and therefore age-related degeneration rather than degeneration caused by activities, was the primary cause of enthesopathy formation. Considering the difficulties of reliably ageing adult human skeletal remains, this is a major issue for studies of activity using enthesopathies.

Socioeconomic inequalities in physical and mental functioning of British, Finnish, and Japanese civil servants: Role of job demand, control, and work hours

This study aims to evaluate whether the pattern of socioeconomic inequalities in physical and mental functioning as measured by the Short Form 36 (SF-36) differs among employees in Britain, Finland, and Japan and whether work characteristics contribute to some of the health inequalities. The participants were 7340 (5122 men and 2218 women) British employees, 2297 (1638 men and 659 women) Japanese employees, and 8164 (1649 men and 6515 women) Finnish employees. All the participants were civil servants aged 40-60 years. Both male and female low grade employees had poor physical functioning in all cohorts. British and Japanese male low grade employees tended to have poor mental functioning but the associations were significant only for Japanese men. No consistent employment-grade differences in mental functioning were observed among British and Japanese women. Among Finnish men and women, high grade employees had poor mental functioning. In all cohorts, high grade employees had high control, high demands and long work hours. The grade differences in poor physical functioning and disadvantaged work characteristics among non-manual workers were somewhat smaller in the Finnish cohort than in the British and Japanese cohorts. Low control, high demands, and both short and long work hours were associated with poor functioning. When work characteristics were adjusted for, the socioeconomic differences in poor functioning were mildly attenuated in men, but the differences increased slightly in women. This study reconfirms the generally observed pattern of socioeconomic inequalities in health for physical functioning but not for mental functioning. The role of work characteristics in the relationship between socioeconomic status and health differed between men and women but was modest overall. We suggest that these differences in the pattern and magnitude of grade differences in work characteristics and health among the 3 cohorts may be attributable to the different welfare regimes among the 3 countries.

Factors associated with variability in length of sick leave because of acute low back pain in Chile

Background context Acute low back pain (LBP) is a frequent cause of physician visits and sick leave. Patients with longer sick leave account for most costs associated with LBP. Most research on risk factors for prolonged sick leave because of LBP has been done in Anglo-Saxon or Northern European populations with occupational LBP. Few studies have been conducted in less affluent Latin countries. Purpose To investigate the prevalence of acute LBP as a cause of sick leave and the variables associated with longer work absence (WA) because of acute LBP in Chile. Study design A retrospective study of nonoccupational sick leave certificates issued in a 1-year period by the Chilean Public Health System. Patient sample Ten thousand cases with nonoccupational sick leave certificates issued with the diagnosis of acute LBP. Outcome measures Prevalence of acute LBP as a cause of sick leave, days of WA, and subsidy payment. Methods A review of sick leave certificates from patients with different diagnoses was done to determine the prevalence of acute LBP as a cause of sick leave. We investigated whether age, gender, history of at least one episode of sick leave in the previous year because of acute LBP or because of other diagnoses, stipendiary subsidy paid (converted to US $), work activity, occupation, and the specialty of the attending physician influenced the length of sick leave. Results Acute LBP represented 5.4% of cases causing sick leave. Patients with acute LBP who had significantly longer sick leave than the rest of the population were patients with an episode of WA because of LBP in the previous year (14% longer sick leave than patients without that history), manual workers (35% longer than nonmanual workers), and patients seen by orthopedic surgeons (43% longer than patients seen by other medical specialists). Nonpregnant women and men had similar durations of sick leave because of acute LBP. Conclusions Physicians who treat patients with LBP should be aware of these variables associated with longer sick leave because of acute LBP, which represents a significant burden to any society and is an important epidemiologic problem.

Association of Socioeconomic Status and Life-style Factors with Coping Strategies in Isfahan Healthy Heart Program, Iran

To investigate the association between life-style and socioeconomic factors and coping strategies in a community sample in Iran. As part of a community-based study called Isfahan Healthy Heart Program, we studied 17593 individuals older than 19 living in the central part of Iran. Demographic and socioeconomic factors (age, sex, occupation status, marital status, and educational level) and lifestyle variables (smoking status, leisure time physical activity, and psychological distress), and coping strategy were recorded. Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression. Not smoking (women beta=-11.293, P<0.001; men beta=-3.418, P=0.007), having leisure time physical activity (women beta=0.017, P=0.046; men beta=0.005, P=0.043), and higher educational level (women beta=0.344, P=0.015; men beta=0.406, P=0.008) were predictors of adaptive coping strategies, while smoking (women beta=11.849, P<0.001; men beta=9.336, P<0.001), high stress level (women beta=1.588, P=0.000; men beta=1.358, P<0.001), and lower educational level (women beta=-0.443, P=0.013; men beta=-0.427, P=0.013) were predictors of maladaptive coping strategies in both sexes. Non-manual work was a positive predictor of adaptive (beta=4.983, P<0.001) and negative predictor of maladaptive (beta=-3.355, P=0.023) coping skills in men. Coping strategies of the population in central Iran were highly influenced by socioeconomic status and life-style factors. Programs aimed at improving healthy life-styles and increasing the socioeconomic status could increase adaptive coping skills and decrease maladaptive ones and consequently lead to a more healthy society.

Job strain and other work conditions: relationships with psychological distress among civil servants in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In developing countries, traditional sources of employment and work practices have changed rapidly and work environment has appeared as an important factor associated with an increased prevalence of mental disorders in these countries. To investigate the association between job strain and other work characteristics with psychological distress, and to estimate the contextual effects of different working environments on psychological distress, using cross-sectional data from an occupational cohort. The subjects were 3,574 non-faculty civil servants working at university campuses in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Pró-Saúde Study). Psychological distress was measured by the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Work characteristics were measured by the modified version of the Karasek model and through questions about night shift work and occupational status. After adjusting for age, education, income and other work characteristics, low social support at work and high job strain were associated with psychological distress. For low social support, the association was stronger in men (Prevalence Ratio = 2.02; 95% Confidence Interval 1.6-2.6) than in women (PR = 1.46; 95% CI 1.2-1.4). High job strain was similarly significant in both women (PR = 1.43; 95% CI 1.2-1.7) and men (PR = 1.30; 95% CI 1.0-1.7). Men having a routine non-manual work presented 29% more psychological distress than those undertaking professional roles. Night shift work did not show significant association with psychological distress. In the multilevel analysis, the prevalence of psychological distress did not vary significantly across work units. Job strain and poor support at work seem important psychological stressors in the workplace in Brazil. Our findings are comparable to those found in more developed countries, providing additional evidence of an association between an adverse psychosocial work environment and psychological distress, being thus useful for policymakers in planning and promoting healthier and happier working force necessary for economic development.

Association between educational level and vegetable use in nine European countries

The relationship of socio-economic status and vegetable consumption is examined in nine European countries. The aim is to analyse whether the pattern of socio-economic variation with regard to vegetable consumption is similar in all studied countries with high v. low vegetable availability and affordability, and whether education has an independent effect on vegetable consumption once the effects of other socio-economic factors have been taken into account. The data for the study were obtained from national surveys conducted in Finland, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, France, Italy and Spain, in 1998 or later. These surveys included data on the frequency of use of vegetables. Food Balance Sheets indicated that the availability of vegetables was best in the Mediterranean countries. The prices of vegetables were lowest in the Mediterranean countries and Germany. Educational level was positively associated with vegetable consumption in the Nordic and Baltic countries. In the Mediterranean countries, education was not directly associated with the use of vegetables but, after adjusting for place of residence and occupation, it was found that those with a lower educational level consumed vegetables slightly more often. Manual workers consumed vegetables less often than non-manual workers, but otherwise there was no systematic association with occupation. The Mediterranean countries did not show a positive association between educational level and vegetable consumption. The positive association found in the Northern European countries is linked to the lower availability and affordability of vegetables there and their everyday cooking habits with no long-standing cultural tradition of using vegetables.

Faecal occult blood test-based screening programme with high compliance for colonoscopy has a strong clinical impact on colorectal cancer

The results of a pilot colorectal cancer screening programme by biennial immunochemical faecal occult blood test (FOBT) are reported. All residents aged between 50 and 69 years in the Italian province of Lecco were invited to have a FOBT. Those with a positive result were offered colonoscopy. FOBT uptake and compliance with colonoscopy were assessed. Detection rate and positive predictive value (PPV) for cancer and adenoma were calculated. Tumour stages were compared between screen-detected cancers and other colorectal cancers diagnosed within the target age group. Some 38,693 (49.6 per cent) of 78,083 individuals had a FOBT and 2392 (6.2 per cent) had a positive result. Colorectal cancer was diagnosed in 4.6 per cent and advanced adenoma in 32.7 per cent. PPVs were 4.0 per cent for cancer, 28.1 per cent for advanced adenoma and 36.6 per cent for any adenoma. There was a significant difference in incidence of stage III/IV disease between screened and non-screened cohorts. Compliance for colonoscopy was 92.0 per cent. Major determinants of compliance were age less than 59 years, female sex, high education level and non-manual work. These results justify extension of colorectal cancer screening to other regions of Italy.

Operative versus nonoperative treatment of acute undisplaced and minimally displaced scaphoid waist fractures—A systematic review

Introduction Undisplaced and minimally displaced scaphoid waist fractures can be managed either operatively (percutaneous or ORIF) or non-operatively with both methods obtaining high rates of fracture union and subsequent return of function. The aim of this systematic review is to identify and evaluate the best available evidence to determine whether they should be managed operatively or non-operatively. Materials and methods A Medline and journal hand search was performed with strict eligibility criteria to obtain the highest quality evidence from meta-analyses, randomised controlled trials (RCT) and comparative studies. Included studies were critically appraised using levels of evidence and RCTs were further appraised using a scoring tool. Results The search found 112 studies, of which 12 met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. Three level 1 RCTs, three level 2 RCTs, two meta-analyses, one economic analysis, and three retrospective studies were critically appraised. The evidence suggests that percutaneous fixation may result in faster union rates by approximately 5 weeks and an earlier return to sport and work by approximately 7 weeks over cast treatment. This difference is not seen when comparing ORIF with cast treatment. Although cast treatment results in a higher non-union rate than ORIF, this needs to be balanced with the 30% minor complication rate. Manual workers require significantly longer time off work than non-manual workers regardless of the method of treatment, although they did return to work sooner after ORIF than after cast treatment. Conclusion The majority of these injuries can be treated in a cast with good results. Operative treatment should be reserved for patients unable to work in a cast and considered for most manual workers and high-level athletes.

Components of the Illness Flexibility Model as Explanations of Socioeconomic Differences in Sickness Absence

The authors studied the social gradient in sickness absence in relation to components of the illness flexibility model, which highlights conditions affecting whether people attend work when they are ill. The conditions studied were: adjustment latitude, attendance requirements at work, stimulating work, and health. The population sample was part of a panel originating in 1994 when 15,154 inhabitants of Stockholm County were randomly selected to receive a questionnaire covering, among other things, health and psychosocial conditions. New questionnaires were sent to the respondents in 1998 and 2002. This article analyzes the 2002 data, for 1,634 women and 1,063 men. These respondents had reported being employed or on leave of absence. In this sample, a social difference was found in sickness absence of 31 days or more per year. For manual workers, women had an odds ratio (OR) of 2.8 and men an OR of 3.4 for such absence compared with nonmanual workers of both sexes in high socioeconomic positions. All single potential confounders decreased these ORs. Adding all characteristics decreased the OR by 78 percent for women and 67 percent for men. The results indicate that the social gradient in sickness absence is due to differences in health and in working conditions when one is ill.

Determinants Of The Utilization Of The Tetanus Toxoid (TT) Vaccination Coverage In Bangladesh: Evidence From A Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey 2004

Objectives: This paper employs statistical methods to determine the complete vaccination rate and to identify the factors that influence vaccination of mothers during pregnancy. The principal objective of this paper is to suggest various policy options on the basis of study findings in order to provide guidelines to fulfill the complete vaccination coverage in Bangladesh. Methods: This study analyzes data extracted from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2004 (BDHS) considering only the case of the mothers of last five years preceding the survey. To meets the objectives this study considers bivariate and multivariate analysis Results: The analysis showed that, although maximum respondents received two or more doses of TT injection a significant portion of women did not receive the TT injection yet (18.6 percent). The immunization coverage of two/more doses was higher among mothers whose husbands are highly educated and non-manual workers. This study elucidates that the rate of immunizing increases with the increase of mother's education. Receiving two/more doses of TT injection shows highest prevalence (58.3 percent) among mothers whose mobility status is unrestricted. The logistic analysis showed that receiving two or more doses of TT injection is almost 3 times higher among respondents using modern toilet facility. The model also shows that higher proportion of respondents belonging to upper category regarding household asset and quality index received two/more doses TT injection than their congruent parts. The other contributing factors for tetanus toxoid vaccination coverage were found to be mother's age at last birth, told about pregnancy complications, place of residences, mother's earning status, sources of drinking water. Conclusion: The results indicate several policy options: (1) improve the monitoring and supervision of vaccination activities especially in the rural area (2) mass media campaign to create awareness among both urban and rural women, their husbands and families about the importance of TT vaccination and the consequences of not being vaccinated (3) education for husband's and wife needs to be given very high priority (4)enable women to exercise their rights to control their concerning freedom of movement, own health acre and access to economic resources

Increasing socio‐economic inequalities in drug‐induced deaths in Australia: 1981 – 2002

Since the 1990s illicit drug use death rates in Australia have increased markedly. There is a notable gap in knowledge about changing socio-economic inequalities in drug use death rates. Some limited Australian and overseas data point to higher rates of drug death in the lowest socio-economic groups, but the paucity of available studies and their sometimes conflicting findings need to be addressed. This paper uses data obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to examine changes in age-standardised drug-induced mortality rates for Australian males over the period 1981-2002. Socio-economic status was categorised as manual or non-manual work status. With the rapid increase in drug-induced mortality rates in the 1990s, there was a parallel increase in socio-economic inequalities in drug-induced deaths. The decline in drug death rates from 2000 onwards was associated with a decline in socio-economic inequalities. By 2002, manual workers had drug death rates well over twice the rate of non-manual workers. Three factors are identified which contribute to these socio-economic inequalities in mortality. First, there has been an age shift in deaths evident only for manual workers. Secondly, there has been an increase in availability until 1999 and a relative decline in the cost of the drug, which most often leads to drug death (heroin). Thirdly, there has been a shift to amphetamine use which may lead to significant levels of morbidity, but few deaths.

Compensation claims and carpal tunnel decompression.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common upper limb diagnosis presenting to hand clinics,1 but the number of patients making a compensation claim related to carpal tunnel decompression in the UK remains unknown. A total of 204 anonymous, self-reported, socio-economic questionnaires were completed in 2004 by patients having undergone carpal tunnel decompression in 2000. Of the employed patients, 7% (12/175) were involved in a compensation claim relating to carpal tunnel syndrome. This is in stark contrast to a recent similar study from the US where 38% of patients had received workers compensation.2 Patients who self-reported no symptom improvement following carpal tunnel decompression were almost 5 times more likely to make a claim than patients who self-reported that their symptoms had improved (Odds ratio 4.8 [1.3–17.6]; Table 1). Table 1 Effect of outcome following carpal tunnel decompression on compensation claims (P = 0.004) Manual workers required a median of 6 weeks (IQR, 4–8 weeks) sick leave following surgery compared with 4 weeks (2–6 weeks) for non-manual workers (n = 120 and n = 55 respectively; P = 0.001), useful information to utilise during carpal tunnel decompression consent. Further research is of paramount importance if trends in work-related compensation claims in the UK follow those reported from the US.

Economic recession and health inequalities in Japan: analysis with a national sample, 1986–2001

Objective:Little is known about whether economic crises widen health inequalities. Japan experienced more than 10 years of economic recession beginning in the 1990s. The question of whether socioeconomic-based inequality in...

Differences in serum concentrations of organochlorine compounds by occupational social class in pancreatic cancer

Background The relationships between social factors and body concentrations of environmental chemical agents are unknown in many human populations. Some chemical compounds may play an etiopathogenic role in pancreatic cancer. Objective To analyze the relationships between occupational social class and serum concentrations of seven selected organochlorine compounds (OCs) in exocrine pancreatic cancer: dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p′-DDT), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (p,p′-DDE), 3 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene, and β-hexachlorocyclohexane. Methods Incident cases of exocrine pancreatic cancer were prospectively identified, and interviewed face-to-face during hospital admission ( n=135). Serum concentrations of OCs were analyzed by high-resolution gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. Social class was classified according to occupation. Results Multivariate-adjusted concentrations of all seven compounds were higher in occupational social classes IV–V (the less affluent) than in classes I–II; they were higher as well in class III than in classes I–II for four compounds. Concentrations of six OCs were higher in manual workers than in non-manual workers ( p<0.05 for PCBs). Social class explained statistically between 3.7% and 5.7% of the variability in concentrations of PCBs, and 2% or less variability in the other OCs. Conclusions Concentrations of most OCs were higher in the less affluent occupational social classes. In pancreatic cancer the putative causal role of these persistent organic pollutants may not be independent of social class. There is a need to integrate evidence on the contribution of different social processes and environmental chemical exposures to the etiology of pancreatic and other cancers.