Occupational cohort studies and national meta-data: a novel way of studying occupational health in New Zealand.

We propose to conduct a programme of occupational health research linking existing cohorts of New Zealanders with known work-related exposures to harmful agents to a comprehensive national meta-dataset of health and other administrative data. The specific aims of the programme are to assess the associations between asbestos, dioxin, and pentachlorophenol (PCP) exposure and mortality, cancer incidence, and other chronic health outcomes (e.g. heart disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory conditions, mental health, and disability), as well as examining the effect of different exposure circumstances on these health outcomes. The cohorts include: 1) the WorkSafe Asbestos Exposure Register; and two cohorts previously established by the Centre for Public Health Research (CPHR): 2) the pesticide producers and sprayers cohort exposed to dioxin; and 3) the timber workers cohort exposed to PCP. The programme will involve retrospective cohort analyses linking the individuals from the three cohort studies to mortality data, cancer registrations, and other health datasets in the meta-dataset.