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Epidemiologic study of cancer mortality among Israeli asphalt workers
Author(s) -
Shaham Judith,
Knecht Yael,
Burstyn Igor,
Kromhout Hans,
Ferro Gilles,
Partanen Timo,
Boffetta Paolo
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.10126
Subject(s) - medicine , lung cancer , cohort , confidence interval , cohort study , cancer , epidemiology , standardized mortality ratio , occupational medicine , cancer registry , environmental health , demography , sociology
Background We describe the results of a cancer mortality study among asphalt workers in Israel. Methods Personal identifiers and employment histories of 2,176 workers were extracted from company records. Results Mortality from all malignant neoplasms was significantly reduced in the whole cohort (SMR 0.68, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.56–0.83). SMR for lung cancer was elevated in workers exposed to bitumen (SMR 1.05, 95% CI 0.62–1.66). No significant elevation or reduction in mortality was observed in relation to a specific site. SMRs for lung cancer was higher among ever exposed to bitumen than among unexposed. There was no association between lung cancer risk and estimated exposure to bitumen fume, and no dose‐response was apparent. Conclusions While the results of this cohort study indicate a slightly increased SMR for lung cancer, it did not produce evidence of a causal link between lung cancer and exposure to bitumen fume. Am. J. Ind. Med. 43:69–78, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.