TY - JOUR
T1 - British rubber and cable industry cohort
T2 - 49-year mortality follow-up
AU - McElvenny, Damien
AU - Mueller, William
AU - Ritchie, Peter
AU - Cherrie, John
AU - Hidajat, Mira
AU - Darnton, Andrew
AU - Agius, Raymond
AU - De Vocht, Frank
PY - 2018/12/1
Y1 - 2018/12/1
N2 - Background The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined there is sufficient evidence that working in the rubber manufacturing industry increases the risk of cancers of the stomach, lung, bladder and leukaemia and lymphoma. Objectives To examine mortality patterns of a prospective cohort of men from the rubber and cable manufacturing industries in Great Britain. Methods SMRs were calculated for males aged 35+ years at start of follow-up in 1967-2015 using the population of England and Wales as the external comparator. Tests for homogeneity and trends in SMRs were also completed. Results For all causes, all malignant neoplasms, non-malignant respiratory diseases and circulatory diseases, SMRs were significantly elevated, and also particularly for cancers of the stomach (SMR=1.26,95% CI 1.18 to 1.36), lung (1.25,95% CI 1.21 to 1.29) and bladder (1.16,95% CI 1.05 to 1.28). However, the observed deaths for leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and multiple myeloma were as expected. Bladder cancer risks were elevated only in workers exposed to antioxidants containing 1-naphthylamine and 2-naphthylamine. Conclusions This study provides evidence of excess risks in the rubber industry for some non-cancer diseases and supports IARC's conclusions in relation to risks for cancers of the bladder, lung and stomach, but not for leukaemia, NHL or multiple myeloma.
AB - Background The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined there is sufficient evidence that working in the rubber manufacturing industry increases the risk of cancers of the stomach, lung, bladder and leukaemia and lymphoma. Objectives To examine mortality patterns of a prospective cohort of men from the rubber and cable manufacturing industries in Great Britain. Methods SMRs were calculated for males aged 35+ years at start of follow-up in 1967-2015 using the population of England and Wales as the external comparator. Tests for homogeneity and trends in SMRs were also completed. Results For all causes, all malignant neoplasms, non-malignant respiratory diseases and circulatory diseases, SMRs were significantly elevated, and also particularly for cancers of the stomach (SMR=1.26,95% CI 1.18 to 1.36), lung (1.25,95% CI 1.21 to 1.29) and bladder (1.16,95% CI 1.05 to 1.28). However, the observed deaths for leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and multiple myeloma were as expected. Bladder cancer risks were elevated only in workers exposed to antioxidants containing 1-naphthylamine and 2-naphthylamine. Conclusions This study provides evidence of excess risks in the rubber industry for some non-cancer diseases and supports IARC's conclusions in relation to risks for cancers of the bladder, lung and stomach, but not for leukaemia, NHL or multiple myeloma.
KW - cancer
KW - industrial cohort study
KW - mortality
KW - rubber and cable industry
KW - respiratory diseases
KW - circulatory diseases
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85054289130&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/oemed-2017-104834
DO - 10.1136/oemed-2017-104834
M3 - Article (Academic Journal)
C2 - 30269103
AN - SCOPUS:85054289130
SN - 1351-0711
VL - 75
SP - 848
EP - 855
JO - Occupational and Environmental Medicine
JF - Occupational and Environmental Medicine
IS - 12
ER -